Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) in Scandinavia

The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a rails and crake found across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. A secretive marsh bird more often heard than seen. It typically occurs in dense wetland vegetation.

In the Nordic countries the Water Rail is best described as a summer visitor. Its global conservation status is assessed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. On Fågelkartan you can see where it has been reported over the last 30 days, based on open data from the national species-observation systems.

Read about this species in Swedish →

More about the Water Rail

  • Water Rail – song & calls
  • Water Rail – breeding

Quick facts

  • Scientific name: Rallus aquaticus
  • Family: Rails and crakes
  • Habitat: Dense wetland vegetation
  • Status in the Nordics: Summer visitor
  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

More rails and crakes

  • Common Moorhen
  • Corncrake
  • Eurasian Coot
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