Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) of Britain and Ireland

Spotted Crakes are colourful wetland birds who arrive from Africa and southern Europe between March and May. Pairs breed in fenlands, open marshes and wet meadows. They return to their wintering grounds between August and November.

There is only a small population of Spotted Crakes in Britain and Ireland compared to the rest of Europe. The population declined after 2001 although counting birds is difficult due to the secretive nature of Spotted Crakes.

Males and females resemble a Water rail and are slightly smaller than a starling.

Adults have a green-brown back with dark streaks and white flecks. The face and neck are blue-grey. The breast is olive-brown with white spots.

An image of Spotted Crakes pairs on Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Spotted_Crake_from_the…

Spotted Crakes are secretive birds who live and breed in the dense vegetation of wetland habitats of marshes, fenlands, wet meadows and swamps, They are most active between dawn and dusk.

The diet is small aquatic invertebrates such as beetles, snails, small fish and worms. They also eat the seeds, roots and stems of aquatic plants in the shallow parts of fens and wetlands.

They walk low on the ground with frequent flicks of the tail. They find food on the muddy margins of reedbeds and the shallow waters of wetlands

Spotted Crakes arrive in Britain from their wintering ground in Africa and southern Europe between March and May. They leave for their wintering quarters between mid-July and November.

Some Spotted Crakes from Scandinavia briefly visit Britain during the late summer while on their way to East Africa and southern Europe.

Spotted Crakes are scattered widely over Britain and Ireland during the breeding season. Pairs are limited to suitable wetland habitats.

Birdlife charities agree between 30 and 80 singing males were recorded annually in Britain and Ireland. The RSPB stated around 10 to 30 pairs nest annually in Britain.

The results of the Spotted Crake Survey in 2012 found “28 singing males were recorded at 11 sites in Scotland and England; none was reported from Wales and Northern Ireland” [British Birds: https://britishbirds.co.uk/…/the-spotted-crake-in-the-uk-r…/ ).

RSPB nature reserves hold most of the British breeding population. The stronghold of Spotted Crakes In Britain is the Insh Marshes in Inverness-shire, Scotland.

There were records of pairs nesting in northern Scotland and the Hebrides. Southern and eastern England also attract breeding pairs.

The Lower Derwent Valley in Yorkshire and the Ouse Wash in Cambridgeshire are famed for breeding Spotted Crakes. Pairs also nest along the River Nene in Northamptonshire.

Plans by the RSPB to manage and create fenland habitats may benefit Spotted Crakes and other species of birds in the future.

The research for Spotted Crakes in Ireland was fairly obscure. “It remains a reason why a number of other species which breed regularly in Britain (wigeon, pintail, garganey, spotted crake, black-tailed godwit, bearded tit) fail to gain a permanent foothold here” [Irish Times – https://www.irishtimes.com/…/re-introducing-bird-species-1.…).

Males make their loud “whit” song throughout the night. The call of a male can be heard up to 2 kilometres, or 1.25 miles.

Pairs make their nest on the ground among reeds and other thick vegetation in large open marshes, fens and wetlands.

The female lays between 10 and 12 eggs which take 18 days to hatch. The chicks leave the nest after a few days and can feed themselves. The young learn to fly after 43 and 58 days. Both parents care for the young and sometimes raise 2 broods a year.

The Spotted Crake is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

The European breeding population is estimated as between 50,000 and 180,000 pairs. Birdlife International stated the trend for Europe is unknown.

The Spotted Crake is an amber-listed species of bird in Britain.

“Following major declines in the nineteenth century, it appears to have increased in the latter decades of the twentieth century, though there is evidence of a recent decline in numbers after 2001”.

“However, recording standards and data flows are poor and an intensive collation of published and unpublished information showed that in most years more than twice the number of pairs were breeding” [Rare Birds Committee: http://www.rbbp.org.uk/d…/species_webpages/spotted_crake.pdf ).

There were annual reports of between 30 and 80 singing males in Britain during the last decade.

Monitoring Spotted Crakes is not an easy task. Some males are not counted because they do not sing during the breeding season.

The population is also prone to fluctuations. Some of the reasons given for the fluctuations are weather conditions during migration, wet summers and flooding on wetland sites.

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit

References

Birdguids – Focus On: Spotted Crake - https://www.birdguides.com/…/species…/focus-on-spotted-crake

RSPB Handbook of Scottish Birds by Peter Holden and Stuart Housden