occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Resident locally along coast from central California south to Baja California and Nayarit, from Connecticut south to Belize; also in lower Colorado River valley and southern Salton Sea (migrates to Mexico for northern winter), and in South America.

Length: 37 cm

Weight: 323 grams

Differs from the king rail in being slightly smaller and usually duller (less rusty) (but juvenile king rail also is rather dull). Averages 13 cm longer than Virginia rail and has a much less rusty breast.

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Comments: Salt and brackish marshes and mangrove swamps, locally (mostly in lower Colorado River Valley) in freshwater marshes where associated with dense vegetation and/or abundant crayfish (AOU 1983).

Nests on the ground in growing or dead herbage or under a small bush, or in places raised above the ground in a grass tuft or clump of rushes (Harrison 1978), among mangrove roots. Nests on the highest, driest place in the marsh (Terres 1980).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Northern populations tend to be partially migratory; some individuals may make interstate migrations. Populations in the southeastern U.S. may make intrastate migrations. Some individuals migrate overland (Crawford et al. 1983). Subspecies YUMANENSIS of lower Colorado River: some individuals may move southward into Mexico for winter, but generally resident (California DF&G 1990).

Comments: Eats crabs, crayfishes, mollusks, worms, and other invertebrates, sometimes small fishes, aquatic insects and parts of plants; forages mostly at low tide along banks of creeks in marsh and sometimes on mudflats (Terres 1980). See Zembal and Fancher (1988) for information on subspecies LEVIPES in California.

In Louisiana, home range 0.4-0.81 hectares, dimensions changed seasonally (see Zembal et al. 1989). In Arizona, home ranges varied from an average of 2.2 hectares (incubating females) to 21.0 hectares (August-October females), and from 3.6 hectares (incubating males) to 24.0 hectares (winter males; Eddleman 1989). In California, home ranges varied from 0.4 to 1.7 hectares (Zembal et al. 1989).

Eggs laid mostly March-July in California, April-July in Virginia, May-June in New York and New Jersey. Possibly 2 broods per year. Clutch size usually 9-12. Incubation 18-23 days, by both sexes. Young tended by both parents, independent at 5-6 weeks. See Manser 1990 for information on breeding biology in Jamaica.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Biological Research Needs: Investigate the occurrence and effects of toxic chemicals in the food web.

Needs: Eddleman et al. (1988) made the following protection recommendations for North American rallids: enforce the 1985 Farm Act to protect wetlands from agricultural damage; accelerate USFWS acquisition of wetlands with high elevational diversity and high percentage of emergent vegetation; resume congressional funding of the Accelerated Research Program for Migratory and Upland Game Birds to fund research on habitat management; institute a USFWS hunting stamp for hunting rails and other migratory game birds other than waterfowl (this would facilitate contacting the harvesting public for data and provide funds for habitat protection); protect light-footed, California, and Yuma clapper rails from disturbance and habitat loss, and expand habitat for these rails; integrate the management of national wildlife refuges so as to provide habitat not only for waterfowl but also for rails and other waterbirds.

Comments: Hunted in most of the eastern and Gulf coastal states (Eddleman et al. 1988).

Comments: Sometimes considered conspecific with Elegans (AOU 1998). Populations along Pacific coast of North America and in Colorado River Valley region variously have been treated as Longirostris, Elegans, or R. OBSOLETUS. (AOU 1983). See Avise and Zink (1988) for information on genetic divergence between Elegans and Longirostris.