Sora

Porzana carolina

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernOmnivoreWetlandPlatform nestMedium · 75 g

What the Sora sounds like

Sonogram of the Sora: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Bjørn Olav Tveit · Song · Grindholmen, Kurefjorden, Råde kommune, Østfold, Norway · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Sora: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Minnesota Valley NWR, Old Cedar Ave Bridge, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Sora: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Minnesota Valley NWR, Old Cedar Ave Bridge, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

Adult soras are 19–30 cm (7.5–11.8 in) long, with dark-marked brown upperparts, a blue-grey face and underparts, and black and white barring on the flanks. They have a short thick yellow bill, with black markings on the face at the base of the bill and on the throat. Sexes are similar, but young soras lack the black facial markings and have a whitish face and buff breast. They weigh about 49–112 g (1.7–4.0 oz) and have a wingspan of 35–40 cm.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Sora

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Sora

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 45 countries with regular records, and 5 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in Sweden, Spain, France, Ireland, Dominica.

About the Sora

The sora, sora rail or Carolina crake is a small waterbird of the rail family Rallidae, sometimes also referred to as the sora rail or sora crake, that occurs throughout much of North America. The genus name Porzana is derived from Venetian terms for small rails, and the specific carolina refers to the Carolina Colony. The common name "Sora" is probably derived from a Native American language.

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

Easily confused with

Side by side: Australian Crake vs Sora

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