Ballion’s Crake

Baillon's Crake (Zapornia pusilla), also known as the marsh crake, is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. Their breeding habitat is sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across the Palearctic. These birds use their bill to probe through mud or shallow water and also find food by sight. They primarily consume insects and aquatic creatures. During the breeding season, Baillon's crakes are quite elusive and are typically heard rather than seen. They become noisy birds with a rattling call akin to garganey or an edible frog. They might be simpler to spot during the migration or during the winter.

They are only marginally larger than the small crake and are 16 to 18 cm in length. The small, straight bill of the Baillon's crake is yellow or green without a red base. Adults have a blue-grey face and underparts, with mostly brown upper parts and occasional white markings. Black and white bars are present on the back flanks. They have short, banded tails, green legs with long toes, and lengthy legs. Baillon's crakes are identical to adults in appearance, but juveniles have heavily barred underparts. As with other rails, the downy chicks are all black.