King Rail

Overview

The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a large, mostly brown rail native to North America where it breeds in marshes. The species is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Adults feature a long bill with a slight downward curve, a dark brown cap, and rusty-brown face and breast.
• A white throat contrasts with a light belly and barred flanks.
• Males display white undertail coverts during courtship.
• The call is a low repeated grunt transcribed as kek-kek-kek.

Habitat

This bird breeds in marshes across eastern North America. Permanent residents are found along the southeastern coasts of the United States, while other populations migrate to the southern United States and Mexico or reside in southern Ontario, Canada.

Diet

King rails forage in shallow water near cover by probing the mud, primarily consuming aquatic insects and crustaceans. Chicks are fed small arthropod prey that parents transfer from one beak to the next.

Did you know?

After nesting, an adult king rail undergoes a complete molt that renders it flightless for almost a month. The species also interbreeds with the clapper rail (Rallus crepitans) where their ranges overlap, leading some to argue they belong to the same species.