Photo Study Of Two Virginia Rails At The Smith's Maple Knolls Farms, May 7th, 2011

Photo Study Of Two Virginia Rails In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, May 7th, 2011

    A pair of Virginia Rails has taken up residence in a small wetland on private property in Bucks County. In order to protect the Rails, the homeowner prefers that the actual
   location not be disclosed. If the birds are successful in raising young, we will try to photograph them before they disperse. In any event, here are some photos of the adults taken
   yesterday.

     The Virginia Rail, Rallus limicola, is in the family Raillidae. It is a small, secretive bird of freshwater marshes. The Virginia Rail most often remains hidden in dense vegetation.
     It possesses many adaptations for moving through its habitat, including a laterally compressed body, long toes, and flexible vertebrae. Adults are mainly brown, darker on the
     back and crown, with orange-brown legs, a short tail and a long slim reddish-orange bill. Their cheeks are gray, with a light stripe over the eye and a whitish throat. An adult
     Virginia Rail averages 7.9–10.6 inches long with a 12.6–15 inch wingspan. It weighs between 2.3–3.4 ounces. Their breeding habitat is in marshes from Nova Scotia to California
     and North Carolina, also in Central and South America.The female lays 5 to 13 eggs in a platform built from cattails and other plants in a dry location in the marsh. Both parents
     care for the young, who are able to fly in less than a month. Northern populations migrate to the southern United States and Central America. On the Pacific coast, some are
     permanent residents. These birds probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and aquatic animals. The Virginia Rail has
     a number of calls, including a harsh kuk kuk kuk, usually heard at night.These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and
     more often heard than seen. (Cornell BNA; Wikipedia; Sibley Guide To Birds)