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page.Spotted Crake
Porzana porzana
The spotted crake nests over practically all of Europe except the far north, but it is absent in Spain, Portugal and Ireland. In September to October it leaves its breeding grounds for wintering sites in southwestern Europe and the Mediterranean, and especially in northwestern and eastern Africa where thousands of birds stay in the Upper Nile region. When migrating, spotted crakes fly by night. They inhabit lakes and ponds bordered with thick vegetation, marshes, swamps and overgrown river deltas. Arrival at the breeding grounds is in mid-April to May or June; the well-concealed nest is made of both dry and green reed leaves. A second nest is built in June or July. The clutch usually comprises eight to 12 eggs, which the partners take turns incubating for 18 to 21 days. The young remain in the nest for one or two days, then run around in the thick vegetation, their parents bringing them food which usually consists of insects and their larvae, worms and spiders. However, the species also feeds on small molluscs, centipedes and other invertebrates as well as the green leaves of duckweed and, in the autumn, small seeds. The adult birds are sometimes still bringing the young food when the female is preparing to have the second brood. Even after these have hatched, young birds of the first brood remain near their parents.
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