CreatureData

White-winged flufftail

Sarothrura ayresi (J. H. Gurney Sr, 1877)

CRCritically Endangeredbirds

The white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) is a species in the family Sarothruridae, order Gruiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 31.8 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.

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Quick facts about the white-winged flufftail

Weight
31.8 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the white-winged flufftail live?

Not recorded

What is the white-winged flufftail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) is a very rare African bird in the family Sarothruridae. The estimated global population size of white-winged flufftails is less than 250 adults. These birds reside in Ethiopia and South Africa but it is unknown whether these populations are one large or two different populations.

Both sexes have dull plumage, dark crowns, and when flying show white secondary feathers.

Their habitat consists of high altitude seasonal marshland with high sedge cover to protect their ground nests. Habitat loss is the main problem facing these birds as they require highly specialized habitat. These marshlands are being destroyed for a number of reasons such as, farming, grazing and sedge harvesting, but some efforts are being taken to protect the white-winged flufftail.

From the Wikipedia article “White-winged flufftail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-winged_flufftail&oldid=1376385310), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the white-winged flufftail endangered?

The white-winged flufftail is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species.

How is the white-winged flufftail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGruiformes
  5. familySarothruridae
  6. genusSarothrura
  7. SpeciesSarothrura ayresi (J. H. Gurney Sr, 1877)

Synonyms Coturnicops ayresi, Coturnicops ayresi, Ortygops ayresi, Ortygops macmillani, Sarothrura ayresi ayresi, Sarothrura ayresi macmillani

Other names and names in other languages (41)
  • White-winged crakeEnglish
  • WWFLEnglish
  • WitvlerkvleikuikenAfrikaans
  • زغب الذيل أبيض الجناحينArabic
  • rasclet alablancCatalan
  • chřástalík bělokřídlýCzech
  • chřástal AyresůvCzech
  • Corregen adeinwenWelsh
  • Hvidvinget DunhaleDanish
  • SpiegelralleGerman
  • blankflugila arboraloEsperanto
  • Polluela especuladaSpanish
  • valgetiib-pirkEstonian
  • دمکرکی بالسفیدPersian
  • pilkkarääkkiäinenFinnish
  • Râle à miroirFrench
  • Sarothrure à miroirFrench
  • bjelokrili prepeličarCroatian
  • fehérszárnyú bolyhosfarkúmadárHungarian
  • Rallo alibiancheItalian
  • Codapiuma alibiancheItalian
  • アフリカシマクイナJapanese
  • veidrodinė pūkauodegė švygždaLithuanian
  • WitvleugelralDutch
  • hvitvingedunrikseNorwegian
  • kusokurka białoskrzydłaPolish
  • codorniz-d'água-especuladaPortuguese
  • codorniz-de-água-especuladaPortuguese
  • franga-d'água-d'asa-brancaPortuguese
  • frango-d'água-d'asa-brancaPortuguese
  • Frango-d’água-d’asa-brancaPortuguese
  • Зеркальный пушистый погонышRussian
  • Белокрылая жемчужная курочкаRussian
  • páperochvost zrkadlokrídlySlovak
  • Belokrili mekorepi petlićSerbian
  • vitvingad dunrallSwedish
  • vitvingad pygmérallSwedish
  • Ak Kanatlı AlacayelveTurkish
  • пухохвіст білокрилийUkrainian
  • 白翅侏秧雞Chinese
  • 白翅侏秧鸡Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-winged flufftail

Other species in the same genus Sarothrura.

CompareWhite-winged flufftail vs Buff-spotted flufftailWhite-winged flufftail vs White-spotted flufftailWhite-winged flufftail vs Striped flufftailWhite-winged flufftail vs Streaky-breasted flufftail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-winged flufftail?

An adult white-winged flufftail weighs 31.8 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-winged flufftail endangered?

The white-winged flufftail is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the white-winged flufftail?

The white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) belongs to the family Sarothruridae in the order Gruiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-winged-flufftail

MLA

“White-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-winged-flufftail.

BibTeX
@misc{white_winged_flufftail_2026,
  title = {White-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-winged-flufftail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}