Corncrake
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae Genus: Crex Species: C. crex
Binomial name
Crex crex Linnaeus, 1758
Yellow = Breeding range Blue = Wintering range Yellow = Breeding range Blue = Wintering range

The Corn Crake (Crex crex), or landrail is a small bird in the family Rallidae.

Its breeding habitat is not marshes as with most crakes, but, as the name implies, meadows and arable farmland. It breeds across Europe and western Asia, migrating to Africa in winter. It is in steep decline across most of its range because modern farming practices mean that nests and birds are destroyed by mowing or harvesting before breeding is finished. The best place to look for or listen for them in the UK is in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Description

The adult Corn Crake is 22-25 cm long and has mainly brown, heavily spotted upper parts, a blue-grey head and neck, and reddish streaked flanks. It has a short bill and shows chestnut wings and long dangling legs in flight.

The sexes are similar, but in the immature bird the blue-grey is replaced by buff. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails.

Behaviour

The Corn Crake is very secretive in the breeding season, and heard far more often than it is seen. It is hard to flush, walking away through the vegetation. The song, mainly heard at night and very early morning, is a repetitive, far-carrying crex crex, like two notched sticks being rubbed together. This bird feeds mainly on insects.

Etymology

The species' name used commonly to be spelled as a single word, 'Corncrake', but the official English name is Corn Crake, and the trend now is to follow this. Other Scottish names for the bird inlude Corncraik, Corn Scrack (in Aberdeenshire), Daker, King of the Quail, Land Rail, Quailzie, and Weet-my-fit. Originally called a "Corne Crake" in Scotland, Thomas Bewick introduced this name in his book, "A History of British Birds" (Newcastle, 1797). Most of these names derive from both its habitat and its odd call. The name 'Daker' has been derived from the Old Norse "Ager-hoene", meaning "Cock of the field". Gaelic names include Garra-gart (perhaps from the Gaelic word "garrag", meaning "to yell"), Racan-arbhai, and Traona.

References

• BirdLife International (2006). Crex crex. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is near threatened
• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.
• Scottish Birds, culture and tradition, by Robin Hull (Mercat Press, Edinburgh, 2001)
• The Pogues song "Lullaby of London" mentions "Although there is no lonely corncrake's cry"

External links

• Corn Crake videos on the Internet Bird Collection