Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola
Summary 3
The Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. Adults are mainly brown, darker on the back and crown, with orange-brown legs. Virginia rails have the highest ratio of leg-muscle to flight-muscle of all birds (25% - 15% of body weight respectively). They have long toes used to walk on floating vegetation. Their tail is short and they have a long slim reddish bill. Their cheeks are grey, with a light stripe over the eye and a whitish throat. Chicks are black. Juveniles are blackish brown on upperparts with rufous on the edge of feathers and brownish bill and legs. Their underparts are dark brown to black, while the face is grayish brown. Adults are 7.9 to 10.6 inches in length. While the COSA lies within the Virginia rail's breeding range, it has been recorded in the COSA in January, February, April, May, August, September, October and December
Sources and Credits
- (c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/34328261@N02/3217157756
- (c) JanetandPhil, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dharma_for_one/36447177046/
- Adapted by dirstine from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rallus_limicola
