The small White-Breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) is part of the rail and crake family, Rallidae, that is widely distributed across Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Bolder than most other rails, it is often seen stepping slowly with its tail cocked upright in open marshes or even drains near busy roads. Its breeding habitat is marshes across south Asia from Pakistan, Maldives, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to south China, Philippines, and Indonesia. It mainly eats insects, small fish, and aquatic invertebrates by probing with its bill in mud or shallow water.