Friday’s Feathered Friends-Virginia Rail

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This is a bird I don’t think I’ve shared often as they’re very elusive and shy.

Last month while birding up in Washoe County we were thrilled to see this one come out of the reeds to forage in the shallow end of the lake. This one is a juvenile which is why it was foraging in the open for sometime. There was another one behind in the reeds tut-tutting…probably an adult.

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Virginia Rail

Fun Facts:

A secretive bird of freshwater marshes, the Virginia Rail often remains hidden in dense vegetation, but its loud grunting may give away its presence. As it slowly pokes its way through the marsh, you might get a glimpse of its reddish bill, black-and-white barred sides, and its twitching tail, showing off white tail feathers beneath. It possesses many adaptations for moving through its nearly impenetrable habitat, including a laterally compressed body, long toes, and flexible vertebrae.

  • The forehead feathers of Virginia Rails are adapted to withstand wear and tear that results from pushing through dense and often sharp marsh vegetation.
  • The Virginia Rail is more adept at walking on soft mud than swimming, but it occasionally swims across wetlands and even dives underwater, propelling itself with its wings.
  • As a group, rails have the highest ratio of leg muscles to flight muscles of any bird, which may explain their propensity to walk rather than fly.
  • The Virginia Rail builds numerous “dummy nests” in addition to the one where eggs are actually laid.

Fun Facts gleaned from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Virginia_Rail/overview

I’m birding this morning so will be late to your blogs and comments. I hope you all have a Happy Halloween, and great week-end.

more to come…

35 thoughts on “Friday’s Feathered Friends-Virginia Rail”

  1. Great photo Deborah!! And fun facts – interesting how they prefer to walk rather to fly and how they build “dummy” nests to hide their real ones. I wonder how they don’t get confused… lol

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        1. Okay, you’ve got me beat! Whenever any one comments on how expensive photography is I stop and think about other hobbies and find they’re just as expensive if not more! Plants and flowers aren’t cheap! Your garden is looking wonderful so worth it. 😊

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  3. Thank you for the fun facts about Virginia Rail, Deborah! I’m glad this juvenile is not hidden and you had a great shot of him. I love watching birds but I’m not taking any trip or going anywhere to do it, just watch them when they come to my garden.

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  14. I imagine you also did some tut-tutting after getting a good picture of this bird. The name Virginia rail and the map at All About Birds confirm that this species has a broad distribution: the 48 contiguous American states plus parts of Mexico and Canada.

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  15. Well, this was interesting. The description of this bird’s habits made me think of bitterns, but I found that bitterns aren’t in the rail family. On the other hand, our coots, common moorhens, and purple gallinules are in the rail family. I never would have expected that. Your photo’s wonderful; being able to capture the catchlight in its eye is especially nice.

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    1. I find it interesting that the Bittern is in the Heron family. I forgot that Coots are in the Rail family! I think of them as ducks with interesting feet.
      Thank you so much, Linda! It’s always a treat to get that catchlight in the eye. 😊

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