186. Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla)

This is the tiniest of the crakes covered here; Baillon's Crake resembles a Little Crake, but with barring on the flanks, a greener bill with no red at the base, shorter primary projections and a warmer brown back with more white markings. The sexes are similar although males have a cleaner appearance and darker grey underparts. Juveniles look similar to juvenile Little Crakes, but with more extensive barring underneath, reaching up the chest and throat. Baillon's Crake occurs occasionally as a vagrant in the UK, but its main distribution is further east - it breeds in a few very localised spots across Europe and is found more widely in Russia. It winters in Africa. Its preferred habitat is boggy, marshy areas with thick grass and sedges and shallow water.

Baillon's Crake, ©Jason Girvan, via Wikimedia Commons.

Baillon's Crake painting.

Again, that brown is lacking a certain ochre-y tone. I got a bit carried away and lost a few of the white markings on the back too!