# Little crake (*Zapornia parva*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/little-crake  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The little crake (Zapornia parva) is a small bird in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. It is a migratory aquatic predator of wetland habitat that forages in the terrestrial stratum, with a trophic level of carnivore. Adults weigh 49.7 g, with values up to 60.5 g, and have a wingspan from 34 to 39 cm. Clutches hold 7.9 eggs, with 2 clutches per year and an incubation period of 16 days; the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 49.7 g – 60.5 g |
| Length | 17 cm – 19 cm |
| Wingspan | 34 cm – 39 cm |
| Lifespan | 5.88 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 6 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 16 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 7.9 |
| Age at maturity | 11.9 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Gruiformes
- family: Rallidae
- genus: Zapornia
- species: *Zapornia parva* (Scopoli, 1769)

Synonyms: *Crex pusilla*, *Gallinula minutissima*, *Porzana minuta*, *Porzana parva*, *Porzana parva subsp. parva*, *Rallus parvus*, *Rallus peyrousei*, *Zapornia minuta*, *Zapornia parva parva*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the little crake?

The little crake is a small bird in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes.

### How big is the little crake?

Adults weigh 49.7 g, with values up to 60.5 g. The wingspan ranges from 34 to 39 cm.

### What does the little crake eat?

The little crake is an aquatic predator, with a trophic level of carnivore.

### What habitat does the little crake live in?

The little crake lives in wetland habitat and forages in the terrestrial stratum. It is migratory.

### Is the little crake endangered?

No. The little crake is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the little crake live?

The little crake has a lifespan of 5.9 years, with values up to 6 years.

### How many eggs does the little crake lay?

The little crake lays clutches of 7.9 eggs, with 2 clutches per year. Incubation lasts 16 days, and sexual maturity comes at 363.5 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Little crake (Zapornia parva). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/little-crake