Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION

• Length: 7.5 inches Wingspan: 14 inches

• Fairly small, chunky, short-tailed, round-winged, ground-dwelling           marsh bird

• Long, slightly decurved bill

• Most often seen walking, rarely flies

• Often flicks and cocks short tail while walking, exposing white under-         tail coverts

• Sexes similar

Adult:

• Reddish bill

• Legs brown or orange

• Supraloral stripe and throat whitish

• Blue-gray cheeks

• Rust-colored breast and belly

• Dark crown and back, edged tawny brown

• Black and white barred flanks

• Chestnut wing

Juvenile:

• Bill color duller than in adult

• Grayish face

• Whitish about foreneck and breast

• Gray-black hindneck, back and flanks

• Chestnut wing

• Barring on flanks indistinct

Similar species:

Downy young Virginia rails can be mistaken for black rails but have dark
(not red) eyes, and lack spots on the back and barring on the flanks. King
and clapper rails are much larger and have duller bills and less contrast
between the cheek and underparts. Other rails have much shorter bills.

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status:N/A
Breeding Habitat: Wetland-open water
Nest Location:N/A
Nest Type:N/A
Clutch Size: 6-13
Length of Incubation: 18-20 days
Days to Fledge: 25
Number of Broods: 2?
Diet: Almost exclusively insects; lesser quantities of fish, aquatic inver-
tebrates, and seeds

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

 

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May R
      Su - Summer: June, July, August R
      Fall: September, October, November

      Winter: December, January, February

 

 

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