Watercock vs African Rail

Gallicrex cinerea compared with Rallus caerulescens

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Watercock African Rail
Scientific Name Gallicrex cinerea Rallus caerulescens
Order Gruiformes Gruiformes
Family Rallidae Rallidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 37.2 cm (14.6 in) 23.8 cm (9.4 in)
Weight 426.6666666666667 g (15.05 oz) 160.25 g (5.65 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 3-6 2-6
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Watercock only

None

African Rail only

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Watercock

Least Concern

African Rail

About These Birds

Watercock

Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) is a medium 42–43 cm rail of South and South-East Asia. Strongly sexually dimorphic; breeding male dark slaty with distinctive red frontal shield and knob; female brown-streaked. Inhabits rice paddies, freshwater marshes, and flooded grasslands from India east to China and Indonesia. Partly migratory. Polygynous.

African Rail

African Rail (Rallus caerulescens), 28 cm. Brown above with dark streaks; blue-grey underparts; barred white flanks; red bill and legs. Found in freshwater reedbeds and swamp margins across sub-Saharan Africa. Omnivore. Least Concern; common in wetland habitat.

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