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    Laterallus – Crakes & rails

    The choice between tiptoeing on water or walking on the ground seems challenging for these witty birds

    Most crakes like to live around water, for instance, wetlands, swamps, marshes, or agricultural fields. Surprisingly they love hanging around the water but don’t enjoy swimming. Instead, they spend most of their time walking on the ground, searching for food. Let’s not forget about the two rail species grouped among seven crakes.

    The Galápagos Rail (Laterallus spilonotus) closely resembles the black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), which makes it a task to differentiate one from another, almost like twins. Most crakes don’t like socializing and spend most of their time in solitude. However, during the breeding season, they gather up the courage to meet their partners, who part ways just as the breeding season ends.