New Zealand Birds | Birds | Gallery | marsh crake, Porzana pusilla
Koitareke, the marsh crake
There are five subspecies of marsh crake, three in Africa, Europe and Asia,
palustris
in Australia and Papua New Guinea and
affinis
in New Zealand.
The marsh crake inhabits both fresh and salt water swamps and also the marshy banks of rivers. It runs quickly among the vegetation and on floating raupo,
typha muelleri
. It swims well but seldom flies.
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