English: Water Rail, European Rail, Indian Water Rail
Russian: Водяной пастушок
German: Wasserralle
French: Rale d’eau
Mongolian: Усны түнжүүр, Түнжүүр
Japanese: クイナ (Kuina)

Body length: 23-26 cm.

Habitat: Breeds at thick-reeded shallow lakes and sedge marshes. Northern breeders winter in W and SW Europe. Usually hidden away on reedbed floor or among dense sedge, but sometimes seen scurrying across a muddy gap in reeds; in winter, may come out onto open ice.

Identification: Rather small with rounded rear body, flat breast and quite long neck, and long, narrow, slightly decurved bill. At distance looks rather dark; just undertail-coverts gleaming light (white with buff admixed). Moves cautiously one moment, nimbly the next; files into cover with rapid wingbeats and dangling legs.

• Adult: Black-spotted olive-brown above, ‘face and breast dark blue-grey, flanks and belly barred black and white. Bill red with darker culmen and tip, legs dirty red.
• Juvenile: Throat and centre of breast white, sides of head and breast brownish and diffusely barred; often suggestion of darker mask and narrow pale line over lores. Reduced red on bill.