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. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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Wading birdsWading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Serial monogamySerial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withVirginia rails are small waterbirds found in the Americas. These birds remain fairly common despite the 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.
Virginia rails breed from Nova Scotia to Southern British Columbia, California, and North Carolina, and in Central America. Northern populations migrate to the southern United States and Central America. On the Pacific coast, some are permanent residents. Virginia rails live in wetlands; they prefer freshwater and brackish marshes but during winter may sometimes occur in salt marshes.
Virginia rails are secretive birds; outside of the breeding season, they prefer to spend time singly. They move by walking, running, and hopping on floating mats of vegetation. They often run to escape predators, instead of flying. When they do fly, it is usually short distances or for migration. These birds can also swim and dive using their wings to propel themselves. Virginia rails are most active at dawn and dusk when they forage for food. They walk in shallow water probing with their bill in mud or among floating vegetation and also pick up food by sight. Virginia rails communicate with a number of calls, including a harsh 'kuk kuk kuk', usually heard at night. They also make grunting noises and in spring, they often make 'tick-it or kid-ick' calls.
Virginia rails are carnivores (insectivores). Their diet mainly includes insects and other aquatic invertebrates, like beetles, flies, dragonflies, crayfish, snails, and earthworms. These birds also eat aquatic animals like frogs, fish, and some small snakes. In the fall and winter, they supplement their diet with seeds and plant material.
Virginia rails are serially monogamous; they form pair bonds that break after the young become independent. Courtship usually starts around May. The male will raise his wings and run back and forth next to the female. Both sexes bow and the male feeds the female. Before mating, the male approaches the female while grunting. Both parents build the nest and care for the young, whereas only the male defends the territory. These birds nest near the base of emergent vegetation in areas with vegetation creating a canopy above the nest. The nest is built as the first egg is laid and consists of a basket of woven vegetation. It is made using plants like cattails, reeds, and grasses. These birds also build dummy nests around the marsh. The female lays a clutch of 4 to 13 white or buff eggs with sparse gray or brown spotting. They are incubated by both parents for a period of 20 to 22 days, in which the parents continue to add nesting material to conceal the nest. When the eggs hatch, the parents feed their young for 2 to 3 weeks. After this time the chicks become independent and are able to fly at around 25 days of age.
Virginia rails are threatened by the loss of their wetland habitat mainly due to degradation, draining and development.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Virginia rail total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.