Rallus limicola
The Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) is a small, secretive marsh bird distinguished by its rich rufous coloration and strikingly long, bicolored bill. Measuring 20-27 cm (8-10.5 in) in length with a wingspan of 30-38 cm (12-15 in) and weighing 60-95g (2.1-3.4 oz), its most distinctive field marks include a slender, slightly decurved reddish-orange bill with a dusky tip, a gray face and breast, and prominent black and white barring on its flanks. Its back is streaked olive-brown, contrasting wi...
Primarily inhabits dense freshwater and brackish marshes, wet meadows, and emergent vegetation at low to moderate elevations.
Feeds primarily on insects, aquatic invertebrates (snails, crustaceans), small fish, and seeds of marsh plants, foraging by probing mud and gleaning from vegetation.
Virginia Rails are largely crepuscular and nocturnal, active at dawn, dusk, and throughout the night, though they can be observed during the day. They forage by methodically walking through shallow water or mud, probing the substrate with their long bills and gleaning food from vegetation and the...
The Virginia Rail's breeding range extends across much of temperate North America, from southern Canada (British Columbia east to Nova Scotia) south through the Great Plains, Great Lakes region, northeastern US, Appalachians, and western US (California, Pacific Northwest). During winter, populati...
Least Concern
- Its exceptionally thin body allows it to "slip through" dense marsh vegetation, a characteristic often referred to as being "thin as a rail. - Virginia Rails rarely fly, preferring to run or swim to escape danger, only taking to the air for short distances as a last resort. - The young are prec...