Small waterbird (about 19 cm or 7.5 in), the size of a starling. Rufous upperparts and crown with con white streaks. Slate grey face, throat and breast. Belly and flanks striped in black and white. Long legs and ocher or greenish toned bill, without the red base of other species of crakes. Females with more dull tones.
Wetlands, River and Riverside
Species linked to wetlands of fresh or salt water but with little depth and a great density of low vegetation. Present in marshes, ends of reservoirs, ponds and lakes with shores invaded by vegetation.
Occasional summer bird in the province and also present during its migratory passages. It breeds in April. Nest among the vegetal border of the wetland. One laying of 6 to 8 eggs. This crake feeds on aquatic invertebrates (insects, earthworms or molluscs) and vegetable matter (algae, stems). Very discreet. It usually goes unnoticed among the dense vegetation.
Bird scarce as nesting in the province. It has been observed in the mouth of the Vélez river, in the wetland of Los Prados (Málaga) and in the Fuente de Piedra lagoon.
Its Latin name ("pusilla") refers to its small size because it means "tiny". "Porzana" is a term derived from the old Italian (Venetian dialect) with which these birds were known ("sporzanas"). "Baillon's" is for the French naturalist Louis Antoine Francois Baillon.
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