King Rail
Rallus elegans
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderGruiformes (Cranes, Rails, and Allies)
- FamilyRallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
- GenusRallus (Typical Rails)
- SpeciesRallus elegans (King Rail)
About the King Rail
The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a large, mostly brown rail native to North America, where it breeds in marshes. Distinct features are a long bill with a slight downward curve, with adults being brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They also have a white throat and a light belly with barred flanks. Undertail coverts are white and are displayed by the male during courtship. Immature birds are covered in down, with light brown on the head and darker brown on the back and wings.
The males are larger than females, the male weighing on average 369 g (13.0 oz) and the female weighing 309 g (10.9 oz). This bird's call is a low repeated grunt transcribed as kek-kek-kek. This bird breeds in marshes in eastern North America. Birds along the southeastern coasts of the United States are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico; in Canada, they are found in southern Ontario. An adult king rail will molt completely after nesting and it becomes flightless for almost a month.
This bird is diurnal, contrasting with its smaller, nocturnal relatives. �... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of King Rail in Big Cypress National Preserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Big Cypress National Preserve
Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola
Clapper Rail
Rallus crepitans
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
American Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio martinica
American Coot
Fulica americana
Sora
Porzana carolina
Western Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
Limpkin
Aramus guarauna
Sandhill Crane
Grus canadensis
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a King Rail in Big Cypress National Preserve?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a King Rail sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve, based on 127 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see King Rail in Big Cypress National Preserve?
June has the highest sighting rate for King Rail in Big Cypress National Preserve in our monthly data.