Plural of 'crake'; small, secretive marsh birds with grayish-brown plumage and loud, rasping calls.
From Old Norse 'krakr,' named onomatopoetically for the harsh, rasping cry the bird makes. The word imitates the bird's distinctive 'cra-cra-cra' call.
Crakes are so shy and hard to spot that ornithologists often identify them only by sound—their scientific name 'Crex crex' actually mimics their call!
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