All birds/Rallidae/Virginia Rail
AI reconstruction of Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
Verified source photographForest Botial-JarvisCC-BY · View source
PRB-0076Gruiformes

Virginia Rail

Pollo de Virginia

Rallus limicola

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct.

FamilyRallidaeRails, Gallinules, and Coots
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatwetlandsWetland
Primary dietInvertebrateAquatic predator
Average mass83.8 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratory; Sedentary / residentTerrestrial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1089608Recording 1 of 3call
Spectrogram of Virginia Rail: call
SpectrogramRallus limicola

Play: call by Ed Pandolfino

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Sound recorded by Ed Pandolfino · XC1089608 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Virginia Rail

The Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
wetlands
Elevation
0–2370 m
Nest
Cup / bowl; Platform · Ground
Clutch
4–13 eggs
Social behavior
Not resolved

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This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading