White-browed Crake

The white-browed crake is a small rail 19–21.5 cm long. Adults have a grey crown and nape, brown back and wings and clean white underparts, with grey upper flanks and browner lower flanks. The face is striking: a black eye-line is bordered above and below by broad white streaks, complemented by an orange bill and yellow legs. Juveniles are browner, with less sharply defined facial markings, a dull yellow bill and dull green legs (Bird Society of Singapore).

Resident from Southeast Asia through the Philippines and New Guinea to northern Australia and Pacific islands, it favours freshwater wetlands with abundant emergent or floating vegetation. Birds forage along muddy margins, on floating plants and beside open water, taking mainly aquatic insects and other small wetland prey. They are most active in the early morning and evening and can sometimes walk openly across lily pads, although nearby reeds provide quick cover when alarmed (Bird Society of Singapore; Yang et al. 2026).