Adult Description:
The adult bird has a rufous-brown back, with each feather having a dark streak down the center. Some feathers on the wing coverts occasionally have sparse white spots. The mantle, back, flanks, rump, and upper tail coverts, as well as the inner wing coverts, exhibit complex barring or mottling of black and white, or possess white spots. The flight feathers are brown. The area in front of the eye, a post-ocular stripe, and the sides of the neck are rufous-brown. The supercilium, cheeks, throat, breast, and upper abdomen are gray. The lower abdomen, flanks, and undertail coverts have gray-brown and white transverse barring.
Juvenile Description:
Compared to the adult, the juvenile bird has a slightly whiter back. The sides of the neck, breast, and flanks show a rufous-brown tinge. The brown stripe through the eye is wider than in the adult. The eyes are red (adults), reddish-brown (juveniles), or brown-green (newly hatched). The beak is grayish-green or green, with a darker culmen. The legs are yellowish-green or dull green.
Measurements:
- Wing: 84 – 91 mm
- Tail: 40 – 46 mm
- Tarsus: 27 – 28 mm
- Bill: 14 – 16 mm
Distribution:
This species of Little Crake is distributed in Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Southern Soviet Union, China, Thailand, and Indochina.
Vietnam: This species is found in the Central and Southern regions.