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Story: Wetland birds

Marsh crake

Marsh crake

The marsh crake or koitareke is even smaller than the spotless crake, and so secretive it is rarely seen. The New Zealand subspecies is endemic, but little is known of its habits. It calls at dusk and into the night – one call is a harsh trilling sound.

Using this item

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10031400

by Peter J. Moore

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How to cite this page

Christina Troup, Wetland birds – Rails and crakes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/14657/marsh-crake (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Christina Troup, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

Peter Bragger
26 February 2011
Spotless crake clearly surviving in (Tuturumuri)Southern Wairarapa. Neighbours reported their cat taking one last year. Our cat brought home a almost fully fledged chick a couple of weeks ago (early Febuary) then an adult the other day. Unfortunetly the chick died but the adult seemed to be ok when I released it. Both from a small raupo swamp of about 1/2 hectare. Neighbours one from a separate but similar sized wetland about 1 kilometre away.