Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Rallus aquaticus and R. indicus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as R. aquaticus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2014 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Not Recognised | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 34,100,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 31,200,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 600000-1499999 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2012 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | suspected | - |
| Generation length | 4.6 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The European population is estimated at 157,000-346,000 pairs, which equates to 314,000-693,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015). Europe forms approximately 50% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 630,000-1,400,000 mature individuals. The population is therefore placed in the band 600,000-1,499,999 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2015). The European population trend is unknown (BirdLife International 2015).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Algeria | extant | native | ||||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bahrain | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | yes | |||
| Brunei | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Egypt | extant | native | ||||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Hong Kong (China) | extant | native | ||||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | native | yes | |||
| India | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Israel | extant | native | ||||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | |||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Libya | extant | native | ||||
| Liechtenstein | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Luxembourg | extant | native | yes | |||
| Madagascar | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | |||
| Morocco | extant | native | ||||
| Myanmar | extant | native | ||||
| Nepal | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | |||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | ||||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sri Lanka | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Taiwan, China | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | native | ||||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes |
| Country/Territory | IBA Name |
|---|---|
| Kyrgyzstan | Tokmak Pheasant Reserve |
| Serbia | Carska bara |
| Serbia | Jegricka |
| Serbia | Pašnjaci Velike Droplje |
| Serbia | Srednje Potamišje |
| Serbia | Subotica lakes and sandy terrain |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Marshes/Pools | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Shrub Dominated Wetlands | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 2000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Temperature extremes | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Western Water Rail Rallus aquaticus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/western-water-rail-rallus-aquaticus on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.