Black Crake
Amaurornis flavirostra
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
- FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
- GenusAmaurornis (Bush-hens and Allies)
- SpeciesAmaurornis flavirostra (Black Crake)
The black crake (Zapornia flavirostra) is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae. It breeds in most of sub-Saharan Africa except in very arid areas. It undertakes some seasonal movements in those parts of its range which are subject to drought. No subspecies have been described. It appears that the oldest available name for this species is actually Rallus niger J. F. Gmelin, 1788, but Swainson believed that the earlier name was unidentifiable, and his own has since become well embedded in the literature. Wikipedia →
30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Crake sighting in Lake Mburo National Park, based on 318 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Lake Mburo National Park
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Western Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
African Crake
Crex egregia
African Rail
Rallus caerulescens
Lesser Moorhen
Gallinula angulata
White-spotted Flufftail
Sarothrura pulchra
Red-knobbed Coot
Fulica cristata
Buff-spotted Flufftail
Sarothrura elegans
Corn Crake
Crex crex
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
African Finfoot
Podica senegalensis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black Crake in Lake Mburo National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Black Crake sighting in Lake Mburo National Park, based on 318 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black Crake in Lake Mburo National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Black Crake in Lake Mburo National Park in our monthly data.