The white-throated crake (''Laterallus albigularis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in subfamily Rallinae of family

Rallidae Rails (avian family Rallidae) are a large, Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of small- to medium-sized terrestrial and/or semi-amphibious birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity in its forms, and includes ...

, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip retrieved August 7, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-throated crake was for a time treated as a subspecies of the rufous-sided crake (''L. melanophaius'').Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022 As a species in its own right, it has three subspecies, the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In th ...

''L. a. albigularis'', ''L. a. cinereiceps'', and ''L. a. cerdaleus''. PorzanaAlbigularisSmit

Description

The white-throated crake is long. Males weigh about and females . The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a white throat and upper breast and a rufous face, sides of the neck, and lower breast. Their crown, nape, and upperparts are olive brown. Their belly, vent, and undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind t ...

are barred black and white. Subspecies ''L. a. cinereiceps'' has a gray face and ''L. a. cerdaleus'' has an entirely rufous head and throat.Taylor, B. (2020). White-throated Crake (''Laterallus albigularis''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whtcra1.01 retrieved November 29, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of white-throated crake is found along the Pacific side of southwestern Costa Rica and Panama and through northern and western Colombia into western Ecuador as far south as

El Oro Province El Oro (; ''oro'' = gold) is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. The capital is Machala. History The area was s ...

. ''L. a. cerdaleus'' is found in northern Colombia and extreme northwestern Venezuela. ''L. a. cinereiceps'' is found from southeastern Honduras along the Caribbean slope of Nicaragua and Costa Rica and into Panama as far as

Veraguas Province Veraguas () is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. It is the only Panamanian province to border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of 10,587.6&n ...

. The nominate subspecies has also occurred in Peru as a

vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...

.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved July 24, 2022 The white-throated crake inhabits a variety of both wet and dry landscapes including marshes, wet grassy fields and pastures, thickets, forest clearings, and the edges of watercourses and ponds. In elevation it ranges from sea level to .

Behavior

Movement

The white-throated crake is generally sedentary but may relocate locally to higher ground during the rainy season.

Feeding

The white-throated crake usually forages in cover but will move into the open at dawn and dusk and during rainy weather. Its diet includes insects, spiders, grass and sedge seeds, algae, and some small fruits.

Breeding

The white-throated crake's breeding season varies geographically. It makes a sperical nest of woven grass stems and leaves with a side entrance, placed in a bush or grass tussock over water or ground. The typical clutch size is two to five eggs.

Vocalization

The white-throated crake makes an " rupt, explosive descending trill or churr"; its alarm call is "a sharp 'chip'" note.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed the white-throated crake as being of Least Concern. It has a large range but its population size and trend are not known. No immediate threats have been identified. It is '' ry difficult to see and status unclear''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1268156 Laterallus Birds of Nicaragua Birds of Costa Rica Birds of Panama Birds of Colombia Birds of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Birds described in 1861 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot