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Small and sneaky rail.
Not listed
Indigenous: Landrail, Little Tarler Bird, Pectoral Rail, Banded Landrail, Painted Rail, Buff-Banded Land-Rail, Corncrake, Banded Rail
At a glance
FamilyRails, Gallinules, and Coots
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatReedbeds, marsh edges, farm dams, sedgelands, and thick waterside vegetation.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from August to January.
Range map
Range map
2383visible hotspots
68760visible records
6states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Barred belly with a smudged orange-buff chest band. Reddish head with strong pale eyebrow. Makes a loud squeaking call. On small islands (e.g. Green Island, Lord Howe Island, Lady Elliot Island) it is extremely tame and abundant.
Behavior
Usually sticks to dense cover near water, occasionally strutting around the edges or crossing paths.
Gallery