Bird Guide

African Rail vs King Rail

African Rail (Rallus caerulescens)

African Rail

Rallus caerulescens

Medium162 gWetland

Adults are 27–28 cm (10.6–11.0 in) long, and have mainly brown upperparts and blue-grey underparts, with black-and-white barring on the flanks and undertail. The sexes have similar plumage but the female is smaller. This is the only Rallus species with a plain back. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds. They have long toes, a short tail and a long slim dull red bill. The legs are red. Immature birds are similar to the adults, but the blue-grey is replaced by buff. They are noisy birds, with a trilled whistled treee-tee-tee-tee-tee call.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
King Rail (Rallus elegans)

King Rail

Rallus elegans

Large313 gWetland

Distinct features are a long bill with a slight downward curve, with adults being brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They also have a white throat and a light belly with barred flanks. Undertail coverts are white and are displayed by the male during courtship. Immature birds are covered in down, with light brown on the head and darker brown on the back and wings. This bird's call is a low repeated grunt transcribed as kek-kek-kek.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the King Rail
Recorded by steve · Call · Buxton, Dare County, North Carolina, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Rail and King Rail.