Hi again, this month I will be talking about a bird called a Virginia Rail. Virginia Rails are even more secretive then Soras. Virginia Rails area very small chicken like compact bird. They are around 7.9-10.6 inches from beak to tail. In flight Virginia Rails wingspan is around 12.4-15 inches, they weigh in around 2.3-3.4 ounces.
Virginia Rails are dull but colorful in some many different ways, it all depends on the light mostly. In perfect light you can see the deep red on the bill, or the bright gray cheek and chestnut brown sides. Males and females are virtually identical. Bill is a bright red that is slightly curved downwards, a rufous brown chest and sides, and a gray cheek. Juveniles are small and black, a little smaller than house sparrows.
They are probably the most widespread rail in North America second to Sora. You can see them in every state except Hawaii and Alaska. Virginia Rails breed from Washington state all the way down to southern California and Arizona and then back up north to Michigan, Wisconsin, and all the way to Maine. They winter all along Florida, the gulf coast Arizona, California, and down into Mexico and northern Central America. Virginia Rails are rails, so they love moist wetlands, plains, prairies, and pretty much anything else that is swampy.
Males are very territorial when males are in the search of females, they will build up to eight nests, then the females will come and choose one to lay their eggs in. 4-13 eggs are usually laid and incubation period is only about ten days. When the eggs hatch, the birds are only in the nest for the remainder of the day, then they leave the nest and follow their parents around.
They sound like a kid-ik-kid-ik or a pig like grunting sound. They eat mostly insects fish and small frogs. My favorite places for looking for them are Paul Douglas Forest Preserve and Rollin’s Savanna.
