Order:
Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Porzana pusilla
Baillon’s Crake /Polluela chica
Maximum size: Between 16 and 18 cm
Habitat
They live in wetlands, pools, ponds, marshes with plenty of vegetations,
the edge of lagoons and in endorheic areas. They have crepuscular habits.
They keep in hiding amongst the marsh-vegetation. They are not easy to
be seen. They feed on insects and aquatic invertebrates.
They are summer migrators. They settle for short periods in order to
rest during their flight before and after crossing the Mar de Alborán
in their way to and from Africa, using the wetlands in the Mediterranean
coast.
They are distributed between Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. They
spend the summer in Doñana. During harvesting season, they attend
the proximities of paddy-fields. They avoid getting near the marshes.
They are included in the Red List of the Threatened Vertebrates of Andalusia.
Translated
by FELIPE BENAVIDES
