Justification Data from ongoing (albeit modest) monitoring in Russia (which holds the vast majority of the global population) indicate that the predicted declines have not taken place and that numbers have remained stable since 2002 or are even increasing. Whilst it is difficult to accurately predict future trends owing to the species's extensive range and differing climatic and agricultural conditions in different regions, it is thought that populations in key parts of the range in Russia and Kazakhstan are unlikely to change dramatically in the near future. The species has consequently been reclassified as Least Concern because global population declines approaching 30% (predicted in 2004) have not taken place, and there is little evidence to suggest that they will do so in the next 11 years (three generations). The reclassification has taken place on the basis of improved knowledge of the species's global extinction risk, as opposed to a genuine recovery to favourable conservation status across its range. The species remains a high conservation priority in significant parts of its range (at both national and regional levels), and continued conservation interventions, research and monitoring are essential. Evidence of a downturn in its fortunes or adequately documented projections of imminent rapid declines would warrant a further review of its status.

Family/Sub-family Rallidae

Species name author (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomic source(s) AERC TAC (2003), AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Christidis and Boles (2008), Cramp and Simmons (1977-1994), Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 27-30 cm. Medium-sized rail. Brown upperparts streaked black. Pale brown underparts with cinnamon barring on flanks. Grey and rufous facial markings and rufous wings. Voice Repetitive, far-carrying, disyllabic rasping crex crex.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

5,000,000 - 10,000,000

decreasing

12,400,000 km²

No

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: Behaviour The species is a long-distance migrant¹⁶. It breeds during the months of April-August, with nests generally well separated but sometimes only 20-55m apart from one another¹⁷. It is sequentially polygynous, with some males moving a considerable distance to new singing areas⁷. A male's territory may encompass several nests¹⁷, and local concentrations of breeding birds therefore sometimes occur¹⁷. The species normally produces two broods per year. It begins to leave its breeding grounds in August, with a peak in September¹⁸, and arrives on its African wintering grounds in November-December¹⁸. It migrates at night, travelling at low altitude¹⁶. During migration it sometimes travels in pairs¹⁸, occasionally forming groups of around 20-40 individuals¹⁷, and diurnally resting flocks may contain several hundred birds¹⁷. It occurs solitarily during the non-breeding season, individual birds holding territories of 4-9ha¹⁷. The return migration begins in late February or March, and the breeding grounds are occupied from mid-April¹⁸. Habitat Breeding The species breeds in open or semi-open habitats, mainly meadows with tall grass. The original breeding habitat would almost certainly have been riverine meadows of Carex-Iris-Typhoides and alpine, coastal and fire-created grasslands with few trees or bushes present⁷. The species is now strongly associated with agricultural grassland managed for the production of hay¹. Suitable habitats include moist, unfertilised grassland and regularly cut meadows in areas of low-intensity agriculture where vegetation grows tall in summer. Across its European range, hay or silage fields in valleys liable to flooding seem of most importance, but birds also breed in hay and silage fields in subalpine areas. Wetlands and marsh edges may act as important refuges when drier habitats are unsuitable. Males are also found singing in clear-cuts in forest, pastures and young conifer plantations. Singing males can regularly be heard in fertilised meadows or fields sown with cereals, but successful reproduction here is thought to be infrequent². In Bulgaria radio tracking showed that the two broods are produced in different locations, the second brood at a significantly higher altitude than the first one, thus benefiting from delayed vegetation development and later hay mowing at higher altitudes¹⁹. It avoids very marshy areas, standing water, river and lake margins and open ground with rocks, stones and gravel¹⁶, and also those areas with a thick layer of dead grass or very dense vegetation above 50cm tall¹⁸. Adults move to areas of high herbage along ditches to moult after breeding¹⁷: embankments or fallow areas adjacent to the breeding habitat are very important as moulting sites¹⁷. Non-breeding During migration it occurs in a variety of habitats including wheat fields and on golf courses¹⁷. In the wintering grounds dry grassland and savanna are preferred with birds also occurring in rank grass near rivers, sewage ponds and pools and in relatively short grass in wetter areas, moist sedgebeds and reedbeds and in tall grass within young conifer plantations¹. It also occurs in Eragrostis hayfields, old land and pastures, maize fields bounded by grass, fallow and abandoned cultivation uncut grass on airfields, and the edges of sugarcane¹. It occurs where vegetation is between 30cm and 2m in height, and often in areas that are burnt during the dry season¹⁷. Diet It feeds on a wide range of invertebrates, including taxa living on plants, on the soil surface and in the soil⁷. It takes a large number and wide variety of insects¹⁸, as well as snails and slugs, arachnids, millipedes, earthworms, young frogs, green parts of plants, young shoots and seeds and possibly even small mammals and birds¹⁸. Breeding site The nest is on the ground in dense vegetation and is constructed from dead stems and leaves⁷. Often surrounding stems are pulled over the top to form a loose canopy¹⁶. The average clutch-size is c.10 eggs and two broods may be raised per season⁷.

Threats Chick mortality due to mechanized mowing and consequent increased predation is considered to be the primary threat in Europe¹¹. Intensification of grassland management and the loss of hay meadows and wetlands are considered as the critical threats to its habitats¹¹. Following privatisation, potential changes to land-use and management of agricultural land in the species's core breeding range in Russia and eastern Europe are also possible threats². Land abandonment temporarily favours the species, but areas become unsuitable as vegetation becomes too dense and scrub develops. Intensified management of hay meadows, or their conversion to arable, is resulting in widespread habitat loss². Across western and central Europe, intensification of grassland management, leading to earlier and rapid mowing of hay and silage, is the main threat⁵. Early mowing and the use of mechanised methods results in the destruction of nests and chicks¹¹. It is a quarry species in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia, but hunting pressure is considered low. Illegal hunting of the species during the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix hunting season has been reported from Bulgaria and Croatia, and 0.5-2.7% of the European population may be susceptible to capture in netting set up for C. coturnix in Egypt each autumn. Introduced mammals, such as domestic cats and the American mink Mustela vison, are reported to be predators of the species's nests, in addition to native species. The species may be disturbed by recreational activities and developments, such as motorways¹¹. Late spring floods can reduce local populations by around 50%¹².

Conservation measures underway CMS (Bonn Convention) Appendix II. Bern Convention Appendix II. EU Birds Directive Annex I. The species is legally protected from hunting in most of the countries in its breeding range¹¹. Conservation measures have been taken in 14 European range states. National action plans have been prepared in Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, UK, and Slovakia. Appropriate habitat management techniques have been researched, and local repeat surveys in Russia show relative stability of the population¹⁴. A European action plan was published in 1996 and a revised version published in 2006¹¹, and a Corncrake Conservation Team was established in 1998. There is an ongoing reintroduction programme in England, UK¹³.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor numbers through regular coordinated surveys, and improve monitoring in key countries (e.g. Russia, Belarus)^8,11. Monitor habitat condition and extent^8,11. Ensure that agri-environmental measures for the species in the EU are well targeted and implemented, and focus on mowing date and methods suitable for the species. Increase the area of suitable habitat with protected status. Restore lost habitat where possible. Conduct further research into the species's ecology and demography¹¹. Work with farmers and land managers to ensure that traditional farming methods are retained, areas of grass are left uncut and harvest times are delayed⁸. Monitor levels of illegal trapping and hunting¹¹. Lobby governments in remaining countries where it is not protected to afford the species legal protection¹¹.

References Crockford et al. (1996). 1. Barnes (2000). 2. Schäffer and Mammen (1999). 3. A. L. Mischenko in litt. (2003). 4. Mischenko (2003). 5. N. Schäffer in litt. (2003). 6. BirdLife International (2004). 7. Green et al. (1997). 8. Doga Dernegi (2006). 9. K. Koffijberg in litt. (2007). 10. J. Tavares in litt. (2007). 11. Koffijberg and Schaffer (2006). 12. Donaghy (2007). 13. Newbery (2006). 14. A. Mischenko in litt. (2006). 15. P. Walton in litt. (2006). 16. Del Hoyo et al. (1996). 17. Taylor and van Perlo (1998). 18. Cramp and Simmons (1980). 19. Niemann (1995). 20. A. Mischenko in litt. (2010). 21. RSPB (2010). 22. T. Lehtiniemi in litt. (2010).

Further web sources of information

Action Plan for the Corncrake in Europe

African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) International Action Plan 2006

BirdLife International Corncrake Conservation Team

Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004)

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Matt Harding (BirdLife International), Lucy Malpas (BirdLife International), Nic Peet (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors S. Baha El Din, Bernard Decueninck (Ligue Pour La Protection des Oiseaux), Ventzislav Delov (University of Sofia), L. Demeter, Miro Demko (SOS/BirdLife Slovakia), Anita Donaghy (BirdWatch Ireland), Guven Eken (Doga Dernegi), Margus Ellermaa (BirdLife SUOMI-FINLAND), J. Elts, Martin Flade (Brandenburg State Agency for Large Protected Areas), Asbjørn Folvik, Rhys Green (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), Wed Abdel Latif Ibrahim (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency), Eva Inderwildi (Schweizer Vogelschutz SVS-BirdLife Schweiz/ASPO Bi), Johannes Kamp (Universitat Oldenburg), Oskars Keiss, G. M. Kirwan, Kees Koffijberg (SOVON Vogelonderzoek Nederland), Teemu Lehtiniemi (BirdLife SUOMI-FINLAND), Alexander L. Mischenko (Russian Bird Conservation Union), I. J. Oien (Norsk Ornitologisk Forening), Tamás Papp, Derek Pomeroy (Makerere University), Attila Sandor (SOR/BirdLife Romania), Norbert Schäffer (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), Elchin Sultanov (Azerbaijan Ornithological Society), Zoltán Szabó, Paul Walton (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)

IUCN Red List evaluators Ian Burfield (BirdLife International - European Division), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Crex crex. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 30/7/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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