Virginia Rail

Photo of a Virginia rail walking on tamped-down aquatic vegetation.
Species of Conservation Concern
Scientific Name
Rallus limicola
Family
Rallidae (rails, gallinules, coots) in the order Gruiformes
Description

Rails in general are compact-bodied, with short, rounded wings and short tails. Adult Virginia rails have a blackish back with rusty wing patches, gray face, and reddish bill and legs. The long bill is slightly curved downward. The underparts are cinnamon, with the flanks barred with black and white. The song is a series of one- and two-syllable notes: kik, kik, kik, kidik, kidik, kidik. They are often heard but seldom seen unless you are very patient.

Similar species: The king rail looks similar but is much larger, 15 to 19 inches in length, with less distinct tray cheek patches, more barring on the flanks and belly, and a longer bill that is less orange; the legs are grayish tan.

Size

Length: 9½ inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).

Where To Find
Virginia Rail Distribution Map

Statewide. Missouri is located at the southern periphery of the Virginia rail’s breeding range. Virginia rails may be seen as they migrate through the state. 

Rails are shy, secretive swamp- and marsh-dwelling birds. Their strong legs and long toes help them walk on floating vegetation in shallow water. Their bodies are compressed laterally, allowing them to slip easily among the thick, dense marsh vegetation such as the cattails, sedges, and grasses commonly found in rail habitat.

Forages for snails, earthworms, and insects by poking its bill into the mud of marshes and swamps.

Uncommon migrant. Very rare and local summer resident with no regular nesting sites known in Missouri. A species of conservation concern in Missouri, but populations are secure globally.

The Virginia rail is also a migratory gamebird that may be hunted in our state; adhere to current laws as outlined in the Wildlife Code of Missouri.

The closely related king rail is also a Missouri species of conservation concern and is considered state endangered. It is not legal to hunt king rails. 

Virginia rails breed in northern and western portions of the United States and in the southern prairie provinces of Canada. Their loosely woven nests are positioned in thick emergent aquatic vegetation, over shallow water. The young are able to leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching. This species migrates south to Mexico, southern California, Arizona, Florida, and along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. Virginia rails travel through Missouri in spring and fall.

Worldwide, rails are hunted for food. Not many Americans hunt “webless migratory gamebirds.” Those who shoot snipes, coots, rails, and other “gooney birds” do so mainly for sport, or to enliven a fruitless day of duck hunting. Rails rarely flush. They fly relatively slowly and in a straight line.

Though rarely seen, rails are an important part of the wetland ecosystems of their breeding and overwintering territories, plus the areas they migrate through. They require appropriate wetland habitat in all the places through which they migrate.

As predators they control populations of the invertebrates they eat. As prey, they feed a variety of predatory animals.

Media Gallery
Photo of a Virginia rail walking on tamped-down aquatic vegetation.
A chickenlike marsh bird with a long, slightly curving bill, the Virginia rail is a migratory gamebird related to coots and gallinules.
Noppadol Paothong
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Photo of a Virginia rail walking on soggy-looking twigs.
Adult Virginia rails have a blackish back with rusty wing patches, gray face, and reddish bill and legs. The long bill is slightly curved.
Noppadol Paothong
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Virginia rail in marsh
Noppadol Paothong
Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Photo of a Virginia rail walking on tamped-down aquatic vegetation.
Photo of a Virginia rail walking on soggy-looking twigs.
Virginia rail in marsh
Similar Species

Where to See Species

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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