diagnostics
14-15 cm, 25-30 g. A small and exceptionally secretive terrestrial rallid that would be entirely overlooked if not for its carrying and distinctive vocalisations. Sexes differ in plumage colouration. Male with chestnut crown, face and nape, contrasting with white chin and throat. Rest of body, tertials and upperwing coverts dark blackish brown with narrow white streaks. Upper- and undertail coverts and tail chestnut. Remiges dark greyish-brown, outermost primary with white outer web. Female generally browner with dark blackish-brown upperparts, sides of head and neck tinged light chestnut or rufous. Heavily barred and scalloped off-white to rich buff above. Chin and throat white, and remainder of underparts buff to white, spotted and scaled dark brown, becoming barred on flanks; undertail coverts rusty brown, barred blackish-brown. Tail chestnut, barred black. In both sexes bill dark, variably paler on base of lower mandible, eyes dark, and legs and feet pinkish brown to pinkish grey. Juvenile uniform dull greyish black above and greyish brown below (Taylor and Van Perlo 1998, Hockey 2005).
trophic
Extensively studied by Taylor (1994). Inhabits a variety of dense vegetation types that offer concealment but open ground below for foraging. In summer-rainfall regions, generally inhabits open upland sourveld grassland dominated by Themeda triandra grass, with other grasses including Hyparrhenia, Festuca, Tristachya and Cymbopogon, with or without woody elements such as Protea, Leucosidea and Buddleja, as well as bracken-briar thickets, patches of tall forbs, and grassy cover near forest fringes. In KwaZulu-Natal, optimal grassland is 0.35-1.0 m tall, with mean vegetation height =60 cm in 88% of territories. Prefers areas with mean ground cover of 80-100%. Avoids sites on very steep slopes, or with ground cover of greater than 8% rocks, except where these are screened by overhanging vegetation; most territories are located on slopes of 4-26°, with the majority on concave slopes (rarely on flat ground or convex slopes that have poorer soils, more rocks, shorter grass, more exposure and lack drainage lines).
Most territories in KwaZulu-Natal include a drainage line, and the species is often associated with small seepage zones or marshy areas, but apart from temporarily displaced or newly arrived individuals it does not occur regularly in larger wetlands, where it is replaced by Red-chested Flufftail S. rufa. Very uncommon in farming areas, but occasionally occurs in croplands such as lucerne or millet, especially if such fields are near moist depressions.
In Western Cape found in dense Psoralea-Osmitopsis Fynbos, usually next to streams or near moist depressions (Graham and Ryan 1984, Ryan 1987, Kakebeeke 1993); one nest was located in a dry patch of Pycreus and Juncus surrounded by taller Mariscus sedges on marshy ground occupied by Red-chested Flufftails. Also reported from dense restioid thickets.
Occurs from 250 m to 2 100 m in KwaZulu-Natal, and up to 2 500 m in Zimbabwe; upper altitudinal limits unknown in the Fynbos Biome. Extent of movements imperfectly known, but probably altitudinal and possibly over distances as small as 35-40 km, to areas below 1 000- 1 200 m (Taylor and Van Perlo 1998). However, there is no detectable parallel influx into lower-lying coastal areas in winter. Sedentary at lower altitudes where vegetation cover and invertebrate food remains suitable throughout the year, but a breeding visitor to upland sites in KwaZulu-Natal, where it arrives in October to January and departs in April to June with decreases in temperatures and invertebrates.
Timing of return to burnt areas depends on vegetation regrowth and recovery rate of invertebrate populations, and birds do not return if conditions are not suitable by January, as this will not allow sufficient time to breed. More territories are located in sites that were not burned during the previous dry season, and earliest-arriving males occupy unburned grassland. In KwaZulu-Natal males start hooting immediately upon arrival in November to January, with calling frequency decreasing after 1-4 weeks when territories have been established and breeding has commenced, and calling ceasing after late February.
Resident year-round in some areas of Western Cape, but probably undergoes local movements in response to fires. All breeding records fall between September and March, seemingly peaking in December to February in summer-rainfall regions and September in the Western Cape. Monogamous and territorial during the breeding season, but may congregate in small groups in lower-altitude habitats after breeding.
