Hi again,
For the next few months I will be talking about a family of birds known as the Rails. Rails are some of the most secretive birds in existence. I have been within five feet of these birds and not seen them. The species of Rails I will be talking about today is the most common Rail in all North America. It is called the Sora. (weird name!). Sora’s are relatively small, around eight inches and weigh around 3 ounces. Males and females are nearly identical. They both have a bright yellow bill, a black bib around the bill, a gray chest and belly, and a brown back.
Sora’s are found in wet marshy areas of the U.S. and all the way up to the Northwest Territory Canada, and winter in the southern half of america, Mexico, and northern South America. They summer in most of the northern half of the U.S. From New Brunswick all the way to British Columbia. As far north as the Northwest territory in Canada, and as far south as southern Florida.
Sora’s live in marshy reedy areas. The nests are built floating in within the reeds. Clutch size is 2-4 eggs per nest and only two nests in one year. Sora’s feed almost exclusively on insects. They sneak along inside the marsh and then when the see an insect that stab at it in the water then gobble whatever its eating up.
Soras have a very loud call that is often heard at night or early in the morning. The first call which is my favorite sounds like ker-wee, which is normally repeated three to four times. The second call which is probably the one you would most likely hear is a short whinny that lasts about five seconds. The status of these birds is not to concern, they are put in the Least concern category. My favorite places to look for them are Paul Douglas Forest Preserve, and Rollins Savanna.
