King rail
King rail | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Gruiformes |
Family: | Rallidae |
Genus: | Rallus |
Species: | R. elegans
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Binomial name | |
Rallus elegans Audubon, 1834
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Breeding Year-round
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The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a waterbird, the largest
Description
Distinct features are a long bill with a slight downward curve, with adults being brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They also have a white throat and a light belly with barred flanks. Undertail coverts are white and are displayed by the male during courtship.[2] Immature birds are covered in down,[3] with light brown on the head and darker brown on the back and wings.
This bird's
Standard Measurements[5][6] | |
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length | 15.5–19 in (390–480 mm) |
weight | 290 g (10 oz) |
wingspan | 19 in (480 mm) |
wing | 159–177 mm (6.3–7.0 in) |
tail | 56–72.5 mm (2.20–2.85 in) |
culmen | 58–65.5 mm (2.28–2.58 in) |
tarsus | 52–64 mm (2.0–2.5 in) |
Distribution and habitat
This bird breeds in marshes in eastern North America. Birds along the southeastern coasts of the United States are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico; in Canada, they are found in southern Ontario. An adult king rail will molt completely after nesting and it becomes flightless for almost a month.[7]
Ecology
This bird is
Breeding
The
The king rail interbreeds with the
The king rail lays a clutch of 6 to 14 pale buff eggs with brown spotting. They usually measure 41 by 30 millimetres (1.6 by 1.2 in). Both parents incubate the eggs for 21 to 23 days. When the eggs hatch, the young are covered in down and are able to leave the nest. They are not able to feed themselves, though, and thus must rely on their parents for food for up to six weeks after they hatch.[3]
Feeding
This rail forages in shallow water near cover and eats mainly aquatic insects and crustaceans. It forages by probing the mud while moving around in shallow water.[3]
The chicks are fed small arthropod prey by their parents. The prey is transferred from one parent's beak to that of the chick.[3]
Males often give food to whomever they pursue during courtship.[2][7]
Status
These birds are still common in some
References
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ a b "King Rail". Guide to North American Birds. National Audubon Society. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-226-05781-1.
- ISBN 978-0-8014-8631-9.
- ^ Godfrey, W. Earl (1966). The Birds of Canada. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. p. 122.
- ISBN 0-679-45122-6.
- ^ a b "King Rail". All About Birds. Cornell University. 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "Rallus elegans (King rail) - Michigan Natural Features Inventory". mnfi.anr.msu.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
External links
- BirdLife species factsheet for Rallus elegans
- "Rallus elegans". Avibase.
- "King rail media". Internet Bird Collection.
- King rail photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- King rail species account at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
- Interactive range map of Rallus elegans at IUCN Red List maps
- Audio recordings of King rail on Xeno-canto.