Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola
The Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) is a common rails, gallinules, and coot found in 7 countries, weighing about 84 g. The Virginia rail is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae.
About the Virginia Rail
The Virginia rail is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Adults are mainly brown, darker on the back and crown, with orange-brown legs. To walk through dense vegetation, they have evolved a laterally compressed body and strong forehead feathers adapted to withstand wear from pushing through vegetation. Virginia rails have the highest ratio of leg-muscle to flight-muscle of all birds (25% - 15% of body weight respectively). They have long toes used to walk on floating vegetation. Their tail is short and they have a long slim reddish bill. Their cheeks are grey, with a light stripe over the eye and a whitish throat. Chicks are black. Voice: This bird has a number of calls, including a harsh kuk kuk kuk, usually heard at night. It also makes grunting noises. In spring, it will make tick-it or kid-ick calls.
What the Virginia Rail sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Bahamas, Colombia, St. Pierre & Miquelon.
When to see it
Best months: January, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Virginia Rail?
- Adults are mainly brown, darker on the back and crown, with orange-brown legs. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Virginia Rail?
- The Virginia Rail is a medium sized bird weighing about 84 g.
- Where can you see a Virginia Rail?
- The Virginia Rail occurs in 7 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda.
- What does a Virginia Rail sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Virginia Rail on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Virginia Rail?
- The Virginia Rail is most easily confused with the Water Rail, the Clapper Rail and the King Rail.
Learn the Virginia 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.
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