Description:

Medium sized with slightly down-curved bill with red at base and pinkish legs. Adult has dark-streaked olive-brown upperparts, grey underparts, black-and-white barring on flanks, and white undertail-coverts. Juvenile has upperparts similar to adult, but underparts are buff with extensive dark brown mottling.

Distribution:

Common passage migrant through the central areas in Gilgit-Baltistan, rare in Astore and Baltistan. Prefers freshwater to saline wetlands or watercourses with dense vegetation or reed-beds, marshes and flooded meadows, up to 3000m during migration.

Behavior:

Forages on dry ground or mud near water; also wades in shallow water, taking items on and below surface, and from emergent vegetation; sometimes feeds while swimming, rarely by diving. Diet mainly worms, leeches, molluscs, shrimps, crayfish, spiders, many terrestrial and aquatic insects and their larvae, and small vertebrates. Plant foods include shoots, roots, seeds, berries and fruits.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Water Rail in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Water Rail

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.