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Virginia Rail

Rallus limicola ORDER: GRUIFORMES FAMILY: RALLIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Virginia Rail Photo

© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

A secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Virginia Rail most often remains hidden in dense vegetation. It possesses many adaptations for moving through its habitat, including a laterally compressed body, long toes, and flexible vertebrae.

Inside Birding
For complete information on this species, visit The Birds of North America Online.

Appearance

Shorebirdlike
Shorebirdlike
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Small, chicken-like marsh bird.
  • Compact body.
  • Short tail.
  • Strong legs.
  • Rufous throat and breast.
  • Gray cheeks.
  • Long, slightly curved red bill.

Immature Description

Downy chick black. Juvenile dull blackish brown on upperparts, with some rufous feather edges. Underparts densely marked with dark brown or blackish, face grayish brown, bill and legs dusky brownish.

Range Map Help

Virginia Rail Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings

Similar Species

  • Clapper Rail and King Rail similarly marked, but much larger, with paler legs and bill, and more rufous, not distinctly gray, cheeks.