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 →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Black Crake sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 2,300 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kruger National Park
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Baillon's Crake
Porzana pusilla
Streaky-breasted Flufftail
Sarothrura boehmi
African Crake
Crex egregia
Lesser Moorhen
Gallinula angulata
Red-knobbed Coot
Fulica cristata
Allen's Gallinule
Porphyrio alleni
Western Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
Buff-spotted Flufftail
Sarothrura elegans
Corn Crake
Crex crex
Red-chested Flufftail
Sarothrura rufa
African Rail
Rallus caerulescens
📅 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 Kruger National Park?
About 28% of wildlife watchers report a Black Crake sighting in Kruger National Park, based on 2,300 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black Crake in Kruger National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Black Crake in Kruger National Park in our monthly data.