Black crake

Amaurornis flavirostra

The Black crake (Amaurornis flavirostra) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Botswana, and 1 more countries. Swamps, ponds and reedbeds across sub-Saharan Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Amaurornis flavirostra
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Botswana, and 1 more countries

🏡 Where the Black crake lives

Swamps, ponds and reedbeds across sub-Saharan Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs40%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%
🐟 Fish20%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%
🌿 Leaves & plants10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It has a bright yellow beak against black feathers.

Hear the Black crake

Recorded by Kileo Jumah (CC0), xeno-canto XC1149001. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Black crake

Where does the Black crake live?

The Black crake lives in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Botswana, and 1 more countries. Swamps, ponds and reedbeds across sub-Saharan Africa.

What does the Black crake eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 40%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%), fish (about 20%), seeds and nuts (about 10%), leaves and other plant parts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Black crake endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.