Corncrake - Crex crex
A small bird measuring 22-25 cm in length and weighing about 150 g. It resembles a rail in size and body shape.
The plumage on the upper part of the body is light reddish, with dark mottling. The top of the head, primary flight feathers of the wings, and tail feathers are chestnut with dark centers and gray tips. The sides are reddish-ochre with white transverse stripes. The chin and the front of the neck are light gray. The beak is short, strong, and reddish-brown in color. The iris of the eyes is hazel or brown. The tail is very short. Males and females are slightly different in appearance — females have a throat with an ochreous-red tint, while males have a more gray throat. In winter, the gray tones of the plumage are replaced by reddish-ochre tones.
It flies reluctantly and slowly; in case of danger, it tries to escape by running, and when startled, it flies a short distance and lands, seeking cover in dense vegetation. Among tall grass, it moves quickly, often changing directions. In flight, unlike other birds, it does not extend or tuck its legs but leaves them hanging freely.
Its voice is sharp and very loud (audible over a distance of more than a kilometer in good weather) — a frequently repeated creaky call "crex-crex, crex-crex," reminiscent of the sound of a wooden stick cracking against the teeth of a comb. It mainly calls at dusk and at night, and only during the breeding season — in spring and the first half of summer. While calling, it stretches its neck and periodically turns it in different directions — as a result, the voice is heard alternately louder and softer.
It nests among the grass in wet meadows along water bodies, preferring thickets of willow or other shrubs. It often uses areas that are mowed or grazed by livestock. Additionally, it settles in wheat and clover fields, in sown alfalfa, on mountain slopes with sparse trees, in steppe and alpine meadows. The surrounding vegetation must be at least 20 cm high, but not too dense, so that the birds can move freely within it.
Males are the first to arrive at the site, and after claiming territory, they begin to call females with a loud creaky two-syllable call that can be heard from afar. They mainly call late in the evening and at night, only occasionally during the day. Corncrakes are sequentially polygamous. After the clutch is laid, the male leaves the female and finds a new territory, where he resumes singing and searching for a new mate. The nest is built on the ground among dense grass or small shrubs and consists of a fairly deep depression lined inside with intertwined stems of grasses, less often with sedge or clumps of moss. The nest diameter is 120-150 mm, height about 75 mm, cup diameter 110-115 mm, cup depth 35 mm. The nest is constructed solely by the female. There are 1-2 clutches of eggs per season, each consisting of 7-12 (usually 9-10) eggs that are bluish or ochre in color with reddish-brown or purple spots and speckles. The size of the eggs is (34-42) x (24-30) mm. Incubation lasts 19-20 days; the hatched chicks are covered in black down and leave the nest shortly after, although they are initially fed directly by the female. For 10-15 days, the brood stays within 100-200 m of the nest, after which the chicks become independent of their parents and disperse, although they begin to fly much later — around 35 days of age. If the first brood becomes independent by mid-July, the female begins a second clutch and spends more time with the new brood — 15-20 days.
During the nesting period, it mainly feeds on grasshoppers, crickets, and other invertebrates found on the ground or in the grass. If possible, it prefers larger insects (5-12 mm in length).
Red-listed Birds of Kyrgyzstan