- Rallus limicola
Identification
- Rufous breast
- Long, slightly decurved bill
- Red bill and legs
- Grey face
- Black and white barring on flanks
- Brown streaking on back
Similar Species
Similar to King Rail, but king rail is much larger, with light brownish bill and legs, less grey in face.
Distribution
Nova Scotia to California and North Carolina, and further south in Mexico (Puebla, México, Veracruz and Chiapas); Northern populations winter south to Guatemala.
Taxonomy
Ecuadorian Rail was formerly included in Virginia Rail.
Subspecies
Clements recognizes these subspecies[1]:
- R. l. limicola - Southern Canada and US; winters to Baja California and Guatemala
- R. l. friedmanni - South-eastern Mexico (Puebla, México, Veracruz and Chiapas)
Habitat
Shallow freshwater marshes with emergent vegetation.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects and aquatic animals.
Breeding
The nest is a platform composed of cattails and other plants in a dry area in the marsh. The clutch consists of 5 to 13 eggs. Both adults care for the young.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Virginia Rail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Virginia_Rail
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
