# Yellow-breasted Crake

Scientific name: Laterallus flaviventer

Bird group: [rail](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/rail)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/102/Yellow-breasted-Crake

## Identification

The yellow-breasted crake (Laterallus flaviventer) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was formerly sometimes placed in the obsolete genus Poliolimnas or united with the Ocellated crake in Micropygia, and is now occasionally separated in a monotypic genus Hapalocrex. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA revealed that it is not a part of Porzana proper, and instead belongs within the Coturnicops–Laterallus clade. While its precise relationships are still insufficiently resolved, it is not closely related to Micropygia, and Stervander et al. (2019) suggested that it should be referred to as Laterallus flaviventer pending further data.


## Distribution and habitat

The Yellow-breasted Crake is a species that occurs from 
Mexico through South America 
including the Greater Antilles 
in the Caribbean, where it is an 
uncommon resident on Cuba, 
Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, and 
rare on Hispaniola (Raffaele and 
others 1998). In Puerto Rico, 
it has been reported mostly 
from the Humacao (Vilella 
and others 2011), Boquerón, 
Caño Tiburones, and Laguna 
Cartagena wildlife refuges 
(Oberle 2018). Habitat includes 
mostly freshwater wetlands and 
canals with edges of short grass 
or other aquatic plants (Raffaele and others 1998), as well as 
marshes, pond edges, fl ooded 
fields, and ditches with dense 
vegetation (Oberle 2018). The 
atlas fieldwork yielded a total of 
11 records within eight hexagons 
or 1.6 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the eight 
hexagons where this species was 
found, breeding met the atlas 
definition of confirmed in 25 
percent (two) of the hexagons 
and possible in 75 percent (six) 
of the hexagons (see map). 
Low numbers of reports are 
not surprising as many rails 
and crakes are skulkers have 
crepuscular habits.Yellow-breasted Crake distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones 
in Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       93Yellow-breasted Crake/Gallito Amarillo

## Breeding

Previously published reports indicate that the Yellow-breasted 
Crake breeds primarily from 
March to June (Raffaele and 
others 1998, Vilella and others 
2011). The nest is woven on 
fl oating vegetation or reeds 
(Oberle 2018, Raffaele and 
others 1998, Vilella and others 
2011). Of the 15 nests found in 
the Humacao refuge, two were 
located in May and November 
of 2001, and the remaining 13 
nests were located from January 
to July 2001 (Vilella and others 
2011). Atlas results suggest that 
this species breeds mostly from 
March to May, although there might be scattered breeding 
activity during other months 
such as January, September, 
and December (see chart). The 
breeding activity peaks in March, 
and it mostly takes place within 
the subtropical moist forest 
life zone (75 percent of the 
hexagons) (see chart and table). 
However, results indicate that it 
may also breed in the subtropical 
dry forest life zone (25 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table 
and map). 

## Conservation

The global population trend of the Yellow-breasted Crake 
is increasing (Wetlands International 2012), although 
some populations are stable 
(Butcher and Niven 2007). This 
species is currently listed as a 
species of least concern by the 
IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016). Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Yellow-breasted Crake has a 
protected habitat in land of 17 
percent or 33 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (191 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_102_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_102_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.