Rails To Gallinules
Order: Gruiformes. Family: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds that includes the rails, crakes, moorhens, coots, flufftails and gallinules. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide and 19 in Southern Africa.
Crakes
- African Crake Crecopsis egregia
- Corn Crake Crex crex
- Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostris
- Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla
- Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
- Striped Crake Aenigmatolimnas marginalis
Rail
- African Rail Rallus caerulescens
Coot
- Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata
Gallinule
- Allen's Gallinule Porphyrio alleni
- American Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus accidental
- African Purple Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis
Flufftails
- Buff-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura elegans
- Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura rufa
- Streaky-breasted Flufftail Sarothrura boehmi accidental
- Striped Flufftail Sarothrura affinis
- White-winged Flufftail Sarothrura ayresi accidental
- Chestnut-headed Flufftail Sarothrura lugens
Moorhens
- Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
- Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata
Read more about this topic: List Of Southern African Birds
Famous quotes containing the word rails:
“You could almost see the brass on her gleaming,
Not quite. The mist was to light what red
Is to fire. And her mainmast tapered to nothing,
Without teetering a millimeter’s measure.
The beads on her rails seemed to grasp at transparence.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)