Wildlifeof China
Water Rail
Cranes, Rails & Bustards
Photo: (c) Anne Thomson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Rallus aquaticus
Basic stats
Habitat
Well-vegetated wetlands; rice paddies, floating islands and flooded sugarcane fields in parts of Asia
Range
Breeds in Europe, Asia and North Africa; one subspecies winters east to western China
Incubation period
Chicks hatch in 19–22 days
Size
23–28cm
The water rail is a rail of well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa, 23–28cm long. It has mainly brown upperparts, blue-grey underparts with black barring on the flanks, long toes, a short tail and a long reddish bill, and like other rails its body is flattened laterally to ease passage through reed beds. Immature birds are similar but with buff in place of blue-grey (Wikipedia, general species account).
Northern and eastern populations are migratory, while it is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its range. One subspecies is a partial migrant, with some birds wintering from Iraq and eastern Saudi Arabia through Pakistan and northern India to western China. The off-white, blotched eggs are incubated mainly by the female and the black downy chicks hatch in 19–22 days. It normally raises two clutches a season (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Water Rail live in?
- Well-vegetated wetlands; rice paddies, floating islands and flooded sugarcane fields in parts of Asia
- Where is the Water Rail found?
- Breeds in Europe, Asia and North Africa; one subspecies winters east to western China
- How long are the eggs of the Water Rail incubated?
- Chicks hatch in 19–22 days
- How big is the Water Rail?
- 23–28cm