Red-chested Flufftail (Sarothrura rufa), family Sarothruridae, order Gruiformes, South Africa
photographs by Geoff Lockwood

seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Argentina
seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom
seen from Türkiye
seen from Brazil

seen from Malaysia

seen from United Kingdom
seen from Spain
seen from China
seen from Brazil

seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from South Africa

seen from Australia

seen from Brazil

seen from Suriname
seen from United States

seen from Belarus
Red-chested Flufftail (Sarothrura rufa), family Sarothruridae, order Gruiformes, South Africa
photographs by Geoff Lockwood
Flufftail
Gruiformes order
Which is the best bird?
Red-crowned crane
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Sandhill crane
African finfoot
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White-spotted flufftail
Sungrebe
the red-chested flufftail is a small bird closely related to rails and finfoots, both primarily marsh-dwelling birds. this bird also prefers swamp and marsh habitats; they are found in portions of south & sub-saharan africa. they are named for their unique short, fluffy tail with exposed downy feathers. males have a rust-colored head and chest and black body marked with white dots. females have an almost entirely brown body with paler white dots. these birds are very secretive and rarely observed in the field.
"Flufftail is a fluffy pale brown tom."
Flufftail
Flufftail is a fluffy pale brown tom
Buff-spotted Flufftail Sarothrura elegans ssp. elegans Ndundu Lodge, Vumba, Zimbabwe -19.11831, 32.77531 by bartwursten "...and then one day, the bird you desparately have been trying to see for ages, casually walks into your pantry. It may be that he really liked our place and that the same bird walked into the bar of our guesthouse a year later. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41710372"