Newsletter / Blog
2012-05-31 Rare bird sighting – Black Rail – Capon Springs, WV, USA.
The Black Rail
is a first for West Virginia
and was still there at 10:30 AM, May 30th 2012.
Black Rail
The Black Rail
- Laterallus jamaicensis - is a mouse-sized bird and a member of the Rallidae family. It is the smallest rail
in North America and is perhaps the most
secretive too. They are found in scattered parts of North America and the
Pacific region of South America.
Description
A small rail,
which is stocky, short-billed, short-tailed, and round-winged. Adults are
blackish above with white speckling and a chestnut nape. Underparts are grayish-black
with narrow white barring on the flanks. They have a black bill and red eyes. Males
and females are very similar in coloration and size, except that females have a
lighter-colored throat. Immature’s are similar to the adult, but duller and
with less distinct spotting and streaking.
Call
They have a
distinctive "kick-ee-doo" call or an aggressive, presumably
territorial, growl. The "kick-ee-doo" call is heard primarily at
night.
Food
Feed primarily on
small invertebrates but also on seeds of some marsh plants.
Breeding
Nests in high
portions of salt marshes, shallow freshwater marshes, wet meadows, and flooded
grassy vegetation. Peak nesting occurs from June to mid-July. A clutch of 6 to
10 creamy white eggs with fine brown spots are laid. They are incubated for 16
to 20 days by both parents. The chicks are covered with black down and leave the
nest within one day. They are fed by both parents.
Conservation Status – Near threatened.
They are not
federally listed as endangered or threatened despite its extremely low population
levels that appear to be declining dramatically. It is extinct or threatened in
many locations due to habitat loss. Considered Endangered in Arizona
and threatened in California.
Bird Watching
The largest
populations in North America are in Florida
and California,
in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes.
Ask Aves Birding Tours to create a customized
tour for you to see these secretive rails.
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