Just for fun - how many rails have you seen? (1 Viewer)

[KFC]

135 in Clements 6th ed with one recent lump (aforementioned Junin Rail lumped with Black Rail) = 134. No Swamphen splits yet in Clements (fingers crossed...)

a

Must admit, I was intrigued by this lower figure but then I realised that the Rails book includes extinct species... and there are quite a few of those!

K

 

[dantheman]

Wonder how many of the (135-145) rails have been seen by people on here? On a related topic, there is a thread somewhere here on BF listing all the rarest birds of the world, with members ticking them off if they've seen them. Can't think of the right keywords to search for it though ... (and anyway, it all pales into insignificance when you consider post #16 above ... )

 

[jurek]

I saw Dutch Rail, the most sensitive species in the world - a speck of snow sends them all into paralysis!

 

[Birdingcraft]

Including moorhens and coots? Best ones Inaccesssible Rail, Galapagos Rail, Ocellated Crake,

77 (no Swamphen splits)

I reckon plenty of folk have seen 100+

cheers, alan

Wow, that is pretty impressive!
I still need lots but here are my 28 species:

Chestnut-headed Crake
Rufous-sided Crake
Ruddy Crake
White-throated Crake
Gray--breasted Crake
Black Rail
Clapper Rail
King Rail
Virginia Rail
Spotted Rail
Uniform Crake
Rufous-necked Wood-Rail
Gray-necked Wood-Rail
White-breasted Waterhen
Sora
Ruddy-breasted Crake
White-browed Crake
Blackish Rail
Plumbeous Rail
Watercock
Ruddy-breasted Crake
Purple Gallinule
Azure Gallinule
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
American Coot
Slate-colored Coot
Giant Coot

 

[phil baber]

I saw Dutch Rail, the most sensitive species in the world - a speck of snow sends them all into paralysis!

Rozumiem Jurek! Bardzo dobrze! To jest zart, nie? Tesknie dla Polska! :-C Powodzenie :t: Filipek!

 

[Larry Lade]

My list is relatively meager, eleven (11) seen & two (2) heard!

Eleven species seen:
Yellow Rail, Saint Joseph, Missouri
Clapper Rail, Rockport, Texas
King Rail, Austwell, Texas
Virginia Rail, Saint Joseph, Missouri
Black Crake, Baringo, Kenya
Sora, Mound City, Missouri
Purple Gallinule, Homestead, Florida
Common Moorhen, Mound City, Missouri
Crested Coot, Nakuru, Kenya (as formerly alluded to, aka Red-knobbed Coot)
Eurasian Coot, London, England
American Coot Mound City, Missouri

Two species heard only:
Gray-breasted Crake
Black Rail

 

[Larry Lade]

I think the thread dantheman was referring to in his post (# 22) was "Have You Seen Any of These Birds?"

I began it some time ago and it was becoming a little difficult to manage. It has not been visited too much lately.

My idea was to have people name bird species that they thought no one visiting the thread had ever seen. As time went on persons began to post that they had seen this or that bird which was on the list. Then I moved those particular birds from the top list (don't think anyone has seen this bird) to the bottom list (oh, I have seen this one).

 

[Chlidonias]

13 species for me

Purple gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio (without splits)
Takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri
Common coot Fulica atra
Dusky moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Tasmanian native hen Gallinula mortierii
White-browed crake Porzana cinerea
Black-tailed crake Porzana bicolor
White-breasted waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
Banded rail Gallirallus philippensis
Barred rail Gallirallus torquatus
Weka Gallirallus australis
Red-legged crake Rallina fasciata

 

[davercox]

Only 12 but I have got six on my Devon list so there.

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus
African Rail Rallus caerulescens
Corn Crake Crex crex
Black Crake Amarornis flavirostra
Little Crake Porzana parva
Spotted Crake Porzana porzana
Sora Porzana carolina
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
(all names IOC).

 

[Mark Harper]

41 for me and I still need Corn Crake.

 

[KFC]

41 for me and I still need Corn Crake.

Well done Mark. I only had 19 and haven't seen (or even heard) corncrake. It's probably the commonest British bird that I haven't seen. Western Isles, here I come!!!! (soon but not this year)

 

[Allen S. Moore]

11 for me, in order of seeing (or hearing, in the case of Spotted Crake):

Common Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Corncrake
Water Rail
Spotted Crake
Purple Swamphen
Dusky Moorhen
Buff-banded Rail
Little Crake
Lord Howe Island Woodhen
White-breasted Waterhen

I have seen purple swamphens in both Europe and Australia (including Lord Howe Island), two species according to some authorities.

Allen

 

[Allen S. Moore]

I saw Dutch Rail, the most sensitive species in the world - a speck of snow sends them all into paralysis!

From what I've heard, maybe they should be "lumped" with British Rail?

 

[apbarr]

I'm in the pitiful camp with 7:

Common Moorhen
Common Coot
American Coot
Water Rail
Baillon's Crake
Spotted Crake
Corncrake

 

[Adam W]

Only four,

Moorhen
Coot
Water Rail
Bailon's Crake

But they were all in Sunderland.

 

[ColinD]

Moorhen
Coot
Crested Coot
American Coot
American Purple Gallinule
Purple Gallinule
Water Rail
Sora
Baillon's Crake
Little Crake
Corncrake
Spotted Crake

 

[Peewit]

Hi there

Coot
Moorhen
Water rail (3 times)

That is all with me at the moment.

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[LabradorDuck]

I've got four:

American Coot
Eurasian Coot
Moorhen
Sora

 

[Edward]

14, not really a family that turns my crank although I'd sell my mother to Barbary pirates for a chance to see Inaccessible Island Rail. Probably.
Buff-banded Rail
Water Rail
Spotless Crake
Baillon's Crake
Spotted Crake
White-breasted Waterhen
Black Crake
Dusky Moorhen
Common Moorhen
American Purple Gallinule
Purple Swamphen
American Coot
Eurasian Coot
Red-knobbed Coot

 

[DMW]

Well done Mark. I only had 19 and haven't seen (or even heard) corncrake. It's probably the commonest British bird that I haven't seen. Western Isles, here I come!!!! (soon but not this year)

For UK birders not fussed about their British lists, Corncrake is really easy to see at Angers in NW France, just a 3 hour drive from the port of St Malo. Probably a lot quicker and cheaper for south coast birders than Western Isles. Wet meadows literally on the edge of the city are full of raspers, and Little Bustard, Bonelli's Warbler, Rock Sparrow etc nearby - makes a great weekend trip.