Porzana parva

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	GRUIFORMES	RALLIDAE

Scientific Name:

Porzana parva

Species Authority:

(Scopoli, 1769)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Little Crake
French	–	Marouette poussin

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Egypt; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan; Yemen; Zambia Vagrant: Afghanistan; Cape Verde; Denmark; Eritrea; Gambia; Ireland; Liberia; Luxembourg; Niger; Norway; Portugal; Qatar; Somalia; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Egypt; Estonia; Ethiopia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sudan; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan; Yemen; Zambia

Vagrant:

Afghanistan; Cape Verde; Denmark; Eritrea; Gambia; Ireland; Liberia; Luxembourg; Niger; Norway; Portugal; Qatar; Somalia; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour Most populations of this species are fully migratory and migrate to wintering grounds from late-August to November, returning north from February-May, and arriving again on breeding grounds between March and April¹ with breeding occurring between May and August¹. The species breeds in separate territories in solitary pairs or family groups^{2, 4}, although in favourable habitat nests may be placed as close as 30-35 m apart^{1, 3}. Outside of the breeding season the species is usually seen singly^{1, 4} although it may occur in groups on migration and in the Autumn it sometimes associates with Spotted Crake Porzana porzana³. Habitat Breeding The species breeds in the lowlands (up to 2,000 m) in temperate and steppe zones¹, extending into boreal regions if conditions are favourable³. It inhabits natural or semi-natural eutrophic freshwater wetlands with still or slow-flowing water^{1, 3}, and requires tall stands of emergent vegetation (e.g. Scirpus, Typha, Carex, Sparganium and Phragmites)³ in or near fairly deep water in which to breed, preferably with a mixture of dead and living stems and a layer of broken stems at ground or water level³. Suitable habitats include the margins of lakes and rivers^{1, 3}, small pools and oxbows in regularly inundated floodplains³, marshes³, flooded woodland¹ such as alder Alnus coppices³ and flooded rice-fields¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species inhabits flooded rice-fields^{1, 3}, seasonally flooded grasslands^{1, 2, 3}, swamps and small pools overgrown with reeds, bulrushes, sedges and rank grass², and sewage ponds¹. The species may occur in more atypical habitats on migration³. Diet The diet of this species consists mostly of insects (especially waterbeetles, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, and adult and larval Diptera), as well as the seeds and shoots of aquatic plants (Carex, Sparganium, Polygonum and Nymphaea), worms, gastropods, spiders and water mites¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup of plant matter^{1, 2} placed in thick vegetation on or near water², or occasionally raised on a tussock or platform of dead material, preferably in sites only accessible by swimming³. Management information The species prefers to breed in tall reedbeds that are not regularly cut or burnt (i.e. with mixtures of dead or living stems)³.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour Most populations of this species are fully migratory and migrate to wintering grounds from late-August to November, returning north from February-May, and arriving again on breeding grounds between March and April¹ with breeding occurring between May and August¹. The species breeds in separate territories in solitary pairs or family groups^{2, 4}, although in favourable habitat nests may be placed as close as 30-35 m apart^{1, 3}. Outside of the breeding season the species is usually seen singly^{1, 4} although it may occur in groups on migration and in the Autumn it sometimes associates with Spotted Crake Porzana porzana³. Habitat Breeding The species breeds in the lowlands (up to 2,000 m) in temperate and steppe zones¹, extending into boreal regions if conditions are favourable³. It inhabits natural or semi-natural eutrophic freshwater wetlands with still or slow-flowing water^{1, 3}, and requires tall stands of emergent vegetation (e.g. Scirpus, Typha, Carex, Sparganium and Phragmites)³ in or near fairly deep water in which to breed, preferably with a mixture of dead and living stems and a layer of broken stems at ground or water level³. Suitable habitats include the margins of lakes and rivers^{1, 3}, small pools and oxbows in regularly inundated floodplains³, marshes³, flooded woodland¹ such as alder Alnus coppices³ and flooded rice-fields¹. Non-breeding During the non-breeding season this species inhabits flooded rice-fields^{1, 3}, seasonally flooded grasslands^{1, 2, 3}, swamps and small pools overgrown with reeds, bulrushes, sedges and rank grass², and sewage ponds¹. The species may occur in more atypical habitats on migration³. Diet The diet of this species consists mostly of insects (especially waterbeetles, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, and adult and larval Diptera), as well as the seeds and shoots of aquatic plants (Carex, Sparganium, Polygonum and Nymphaea), worms, gastropods, spiders and water mites¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup of plant matter^{1, 2} placed in thick vegetation on or near water², or occasionally raised on a tussock or platform of dead material, preferably in sites only accessible by swimming³. Management information The species prefers to breed in tall reedbeds that are not regularly cut or burnt (i.e. with mixtures of dead or living stems)³.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In its breeding range the species is threatened by wetland degradation and destruction such as lake drainage for irrigation and hydroelectric power production⁵, and intensive reed harvesting³.

Major Threat(s):

In its breeding range the species is threatened by wetland degradation and destruction such as lake drainage for irrigation and hydroelectric power production⁵, and intensive reed harvesting³.

Bibliography [top]

	Balian, L. V.; Ghasabian, M. G.; Adamian, M. S.; Klem Jr, D. 2002. Changes in the waterbird community of the Lake Sevan-Lake Gilli area, Republic of Armenia: a case for restoration. Biological Conservation 106(2): 157-163. del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Taylor, B.; van Perlo, B. 1998. Rails: a guide to the rails, crakes, gallinules and coots of the world. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Urban, E. K.; Fry, C. H.; Keith, S. 1986. The birds of Africa vol. II. Academic Press, London.

Balian, L. V.; Ghasabian, M. G.; Adamian, M. S.; Klem Jr, D. 2002. Changes in the waterbird community of the Lake Sevan-Lake Gilli area, Republic of Armenia: a case for restoration. Biological Conservation 106(2): 157-163.

del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.

Snow, D. W.; Perrins, C. M. 1998. The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 1: Non-Passerines. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Taylor, B.; van Perlo, B. 1998. Rails: a guide to the rails, crakes, gallinules and coots of the world. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK.

Urban, E. K.; Fry, C. H.; Keith, S. 1986. The birds of Africa vol. II. Academic Press, London.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Porzana parva. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2012.
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