Report a Corncrake

Have you HEARD  a corncrake?

Listen here:

Corncrake Calling

We are seeking reports of CALLING CORNCRAKES to help us determine the number of breeding pairs in Ireland and identify important breeding grounds.

HAVE YOU HEARD IT? Record it on your phone and send it via WhatsApp to 085 878 4648. The recording of the bird is key to helping us confirm an ID. You can also download the Merlin app which can help you ID strange bird calls:


Corncrake Anatomy
Corncrake Adult and Chick

Corncrakes are rare and elusive- mostly confined to the coastal areas of Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Galway. They can easily be confused with the following birds:

Hen Pheasant
Hen Pheasant
Red-legged Partridge
Red-legged Partridge

This checklist will help you determine if you have seen or heard a corncrake:

  1. The birds are rarely seen but the male will call his ‘crek crek’ call generally at night-time.
  2. Corncrakes are a bit bigger than a blackbird
  3. Corncrakes are dark yellow-brown, with dark barring on the back, reddish flanks and a grey belly
  4. Corncrakes are generally found in tall vegetation (20cm) in hay and silage fields, rough pastures, and stands of herbaceous species such as Yellow Flag Iris and nettles
  5. Corncrakes are summer visitors, breeding in Ireland from April to September

If you think you have seen or heard a corncrake, please phone or WhatsApp the Corncrake LIFE Hotline on (085) 878 4648, email info@corncrakelife.ie or fill in the form below.

It would be most helpful if you could add co-ordinates to the form by following these instructions:

  • On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app or go to maps.google.com
  • Touch and hold an area of the map that isn’t labelled. You’ll see a red pin appear.
  • You’ll see the coordinates in the search box at the top.
  • Please copy and paste the co-ordinates into the relevant box below
Name(Required)
Was the Corncrake seen or heard?(Required)
DD slash MM slash YYYY
Privacy Policy(Required)