Black Rail
Encyclopedia
The Black Rail is a mouse-sized member of the Rallidae
family of birds. It is found in scattered parts of North America
and the Pacific region of South America
, usually in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes. It is extinct or threatened in many locations due to habitat loss. The largest populations in North America are in Florida
and California
.
Black Rails appear to be omnivorous, feeding primarily on small invertebrates but also on seeds of some marsh plants. They are preyed upon by many avian
(including hawks, egrets, and herons) and mammalian (including foxes and cats) predators and rely on the cover of thick marsh vegetation for protection. They are territorial and call loudly and frequently during the mating season.
The Black Rail is rarely seen and prefers running in the cover of the dense marsh vegetation to flying. It will often make its presence known, however, with its distinctive ki-ki-krr call or an aggressive, presumably territorial, growl. The best opportunity to see a Black Rail is during an extremely high tide
when the birds are forced out of the coastal marshes into nearby fields and brush for cover. These high tides are dangerous time for Black Rails as they are quite vulnerable to predation outside the marsh.
This bird has sometimes been considered conspecific with the Peruvian Junín Rail
(L. tuerosi) and the Galapagos Rail
(L. spilonotus).
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
family of birds. It is found in scattered parts of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the Pacific region of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, usually in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes. It is extinct or threatened in many locations due to habitat loss. The largest populations in North America are in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Black Rails appear to be omnivorous, feeding primarily on small invertebrates but also on seeds of some marsh plants. They are preyed upon by many avian
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
(including hawks, egrets, and herons) and mammalian (including foxes and cats) predators and rely on the cover of thick marsh vegetation for protection. They are territorial and call loudly and frequently during the mating season.
The Black Rail is rarely seen and prefers running in the cover of the dense marsh vegetation to flying. It will often make its presence known, however, with its distinctive ki-ki-krr call or an aggressive, presumably territorial, growl. The best opportunity to see a Black Rail is during an extremely high tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
when the birds are forced out of the coastal marshes into nearby fields and brush for cover. These high tides are dangerous time for Black Rails as they are quite vulnerable to predation outside the marsh.
This bird has sometimes been considered conspecific with the Peruvian Junín Rail
Junín Rail
The Junin Crake or Junin Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It has sometimes considered a distinctive subspecies of the Black Rail ....
(L. tuerosi) and the Galapagos Rail
Galapagos Rail
The Galapagos Rail, Laterallus spilonotus, is a small rail endemic to the Galapagos Islands. It resembles the closely related Black Rail of The Americas. It is threatened by introduced species, such as goats and cats, and is considered vulnerable....
(L. spilonotus).