The Galapagos crake (Laterallus spilonota), also called the Galapagos rail and Darwin's rail, is a vulnerable species of rail in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands.
Taxonomy and systematics
thumb|Illustration of L. spilonota.
The Galapagos crake was originally described as Zapornia spilonota and has been moved among at least five other scientific names before its current binomial was adopted. At least one author classified it as a subspecies of black rail, and others consider the black rail and Galapagos crake to form a superspecies.
The Galapagos crake is monotypic.
It inhabits humid highlands on those islands in areas with dense fern, shrub, and forb cover.
Feeding
The Galapagos crake forages during the day, moving along the ground in dense growth tossing leaves and investigating the leaf litter. Its primary prey is insects of many types and its diet includes other arthropods, snails, and berries and seeds.