Red-legged Crake at the Botanic Gardens
Posted by BESG on 19 February 08, Tuesday
Contributed by Ng Bee Choo, Goh Yue Yun & Prof Ng Soon Chye
Ng Bee Choo reported seeing a juvenile Red-legged Crake (Rallina fasciata) at the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ Visitor’s Centre. The bird usually appears around 1900-1930 hours (at dusk) to feed. This was the same place where she earlier saw an adult bathing in a puddle of water after a burst of rain.
The juvenile that she encountered was not shy but was frightened by loud noises. It usually hangs around under cover of vegetation, to emerge when it deemed safe.
Yue Yun has also seen it a few times. So had Prof Ng Soon Chye, who recently videoed an old juvenile pulling an earthworm from the ground. The bird was going around pecking the ground when it detected an earthworm. Suddenly it pulled out the reluctant worm.
“I have seen the adult Red-legged Crake too. It seems that there is a family living near the car park,” says Bee Choo.
There is indeed a family there, consisting of the parents and a juvenile. They are regularly seen foraging under cover of the vegetation, to emerge into the grassy area in the late evening.
Images by KC Tsang.
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Categories: Feeding-invertebrates, Species
Comment by Cheong Weng Chun
Made Tuesday, 19 of February , 2008 at 11:00 am
it’s been a while since i last visited SBG. good to see the crake is establishing well there.
Comment by mike
Made Tuesday, 19 of February , 2008 at 6:35 pm
I thought I saw this crake once, but it was in the forest area along the path. Would it have been the same one? I know it definitely wasn’t a waterhen.
Comment by YC
Made Tuesday, 19 of February , 2008 at 7:05 pm
Ah! That must be another one. There are more than one family in the SBG.
