How big is a King Rail?

The King Rail is a large sized bird weighing about 313 g.

Where can you see a King Rail?

The King Rail occurs in 4 countries, including the United States and Cuba.

What does a King Rail sound like?

You can listen to a field recording of the King Rail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.

What birds look similar to a King Rail?

The King Rail is most easily confused with the Ridgway's Rail, the African Rail and the Brown-cheeked Rail.

Is the King Rail endangered?

The King Rail is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

King Rail

Rallus elegans

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots · Gruiformes · Uncommon

The King Rail (Rallus elegans) is a uncommon rails, gallinules, and coot found in 4 countries, weighing about 313 g. The king rail is a waterbird, the largest North American rail.

Near ThreatenedUncommonEats omnivorewetlandplatform nest313 g

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 1 — Photo: Grant Foster · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 2 — Photo: Grant Foster · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 3 — Photo: Jody Shugart · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 4 — Photo: Jody Shugart · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 5 — Photo: Vicki Miller · http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 6 — Photo: Vicki Miller · http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 7 — Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 8 — Photo: lwolfartist · CC BY 2.0

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 9 — Photo: Jody Shugart · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

King Rail (Rallus elegans), photo 10 — Photo: Jody Shugart · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About the King Rail

The king rail is a waterbird, the largest North American rail.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

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.

What the King Rail sounds like

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

United States Cuba

Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Mexico.

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in April. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a King Rail?: 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. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a King Rail?: The King Rail is a large sized bird weighing about 313 g.
Where can you see a King Rail?: The King Rail occurs in 4 countries, including the United States and Cuba.
What does a King Rail sound like?: You can listen to a field recording of the King Rail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
What birds look similar to a King Rail?: The King Rail is most easily confused with the Ridgway's Rail, the African Rail and the Brown-cheeked Rail.
Is the King Rail endangered?: The King Rail is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the King Rail for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.