Sora

Porzana carolina

Least ConcernCommonOmnivoreWetlandPlatform nestMedium · 75 g

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.

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.

What the Sora sounds like

Recording: Bjørn Olav Tveit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto
Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

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

When to see it

Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Sora 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.