Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area is in north St. Charles County. This 918-acre area was once part of an expansive marsh ranging from St. Charles to Alton.
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Status
Name
Species of Conservation Concern
Scientific Name
Porzana carolina
Family
Rallidae (rails, gallinules, coots) in the order Gruiformes
Description
The sora is a marsh-dwelling bird with short, rounded wings and a short tail. A short-billed rail, the adult sora has a yellow bill and black face. The cheeks and breast are gray with a black- and white-barred belly. The back is dark brown mixed with reddish tan and streaked with white. Immatures are browner and lack the black face and breast. A variety of calls are made, including ker-wee or sor-ee, wheep, and quink-quink-quink. The song a loud, descending, nasal whinny. Like other rails, it is easily heard in marsh habitat but difficult to see.
Similar species: The Virginia rail has a longer, thinner bill that is red, not yellow, and its face is gray, not black. The king rail is much larger than both.
Size
Length: 9 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).
Where To Find
Statewide. Missouri is located at the southern periphery of the sora’s breeding range.
Habitat and Conservation
Sora live in marshes, swamps, wet pastures, and flooded fields. Preferred habitats have dense emergent vegetation (up to about 40 inches tall) and shallow water. Their strong legs and long toes help them walk on floating vegetation and mud. Their bodies are compressed side-to-side, allowing them to slip easily among marsh vegetation such as the cattails, sedges, and grasses commonly found in rail habitat.
Food
Forages in marshes and other wet habitats for seed, snails, and aquatic invertebrates.
Status
Common migrant. Very rare and local summer resident. A species of conservation concern in Missouri.
Globally, populations appear to be secure. Although not many do so, it is legal to hunt sora in Missouri. Make sure you follow regulations outlined in the Wildlife Code of Missouri. Most who hunt sora do so mainly for sport — although this bird’s fluttering flight makes it an easy mark.
Life Cycle
Life Cycle
The breeding range of sora includes much of North America, north of a line extending roughly through Arizona, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. Their winter territory includes the Atlantic Coast south of Virginia, Florida, the Gulf Coast, parts of the Southwest, and southward into northwestern parts of South America. Sora breed in marshes, building hollowed platform nests out of dried grasses in thick clusters of vegetation, a little above the water level. About a dozen eggs are laid. The young are able to leave the nest soon after hatching.
Human Connections
The word “rail,” as the name of a type of bird, shares its root meaning with “rail,” as a straight bar or part of a fence. Some people believe the phrase “thin as a rail” originally referred to these narrow birds, and not to fence rails.
Ecosystem Connections
These omnivores help check populations of the insects and other invertebrates they eat, as well as of the plants they consume. Many animals prey on soras. The eggs and young are especially vulnerable to snakes, raccoons, and many other animals.
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Media Gallery
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Caption
The sora is a type of rail. It looks something like a tiny, dark hen and is a common migrant in Missouri.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Caption
Sora live in marshes, swamps, wet pastures, and flooded fields. They slip easily among cattails and other marsh vegetation.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Sora forage in marshes and other wet habitats for seed, snails, and aquatic invertebrates.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Caption
The sora has short, rounded wings, a short tail, and a short yellow bill and black face. Note the gray on the breast and cheeks.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Caption
The sora’s exceptionally long toes help it walk on floating vegetation and mud.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Caption
Although their strong legs and large toes make it easy to walk in muddy and marshy places, sora can also swim quite well.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Caption
The sora is a Species of Conservation Concern in Missouri. Globally, populations appear to be secure. If you hunt them, follow game laws.
Credit
Jim Rathert
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Similar Species
Similar Species
Where to See Species
B.K. Leach Memorial Conservation Area is in northeastern Lincoln County.
This area was donated to the Conservation Department in 1989 by Joseph J. McKinny in memory of his parents, William W. and Anna McKinny.
About Birds in Missouri
About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.
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