The secretive corn crake (Crex crex) is named for its tendency to hide in long grass or grain fields – betrayed only by its rasping call. It is related to moorhens, coots and rails but differs from most members of the family in that it lives on dry land. Its scientific name is onomatopoeic, referring to the crake's repetitive call. Also known as the land rail, it breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the northern hemisphere's winter.
