Rails and coots · Cranes and rails
Water Rail
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Rallus aquaticus
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Voice
Call
Joost van Bruggen
Alarm
Mirko Tomasi
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
How to recognize it
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Quail to crake-sized; laterally flattened body
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Long red, slightly downcurved bill
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Slate-grey underparts, olive-brown back
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White undertail with black-and-white flank bars; harsh piglet-like squeal
About the species
The Water Rail keeps to cover, so you usually notice it by sound before sight. What stays in mind is the long red bill and the way it slips through thick waterside growth.
It is most active at dusk and at night, runs quickly over soft ground, can swim and dive if needed, and only flies a short distance when alarmed. Its call is sharp and very unlike the usual wetland chatter, which often gives it away first.
It lives around still or slow-moving water, in reed beds, rushes, and other dense marshy edges. It feeds mainly on insects and other small invertebrates, with more plant food in autumn and winter; northern and eastern populations migrate, while those in milder parts of the range stay year-round.
Where to find
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Along reedy pond edges, canal banks, and slow ditches — at dawn, its sharp squealing call comes from deep cover.
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In old marshy parks and damp vacant lots with reeds — mostly heard rather than seen, and sometimes dashes across open mud right beside the water.
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On muddy banks after rain — forages in shallow muck, running in short bursts between stems and freezing at the slightest sound.
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At the fringes of reed-choked lakes and ponds — in dusk you may catch a low, quick flash in the grass before it slips back under cover.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Rallus aquaticus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Water rail Encyclopedia article