Species guide
White-breasted Waterhen: how to recognise it
A bird of Asia and Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Burak Doğansoysal · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Amaurornis phoenicurus
- Family
- Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Size
- About 28–34 cm
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, paddy fields and wet gardens
- Found in
- Asia and Oceania
The key marks
A slate-grey back, a white face and breast and a rusty-red rear end. It flicks its tail as it walks.
Voice
A loud, repeated “kru-aak, kru-aak”, often at dusk.
Good to know
For a rail it is bold, walking in the open along roadsides and rice paddies, and it calls loudly in the rainy season.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in marshes, ponds, paddy fields and wet gardens. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.