Bird name:

Black Rail

Laterallus jamaicensis

Order

GRUIFORMES

Family

Rails and Coots (Rallidae)

Code 4

BLRA

Code 6

LATJAM

ITIS

176263

Breeding Location:

Swamps, Marshes, Wetlands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to rare

Egg Color:

Pale pink to white with brown spots

Number of Eggs:

4 - 13

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Woven, soft grass, sedges or other available vegetation.

Migration:

Most migrate

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General

Black Rail: Smallest North American rail, mostly dark gray or nearly black with white-speckled back, belly, and flanks. Nape and upper back are chestnut-brown. Eyes are red. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has brown to orange eyes.

Range and Habitat

Black Rail: Nests on marshes and open grasslands from southern New England to the Gulf coast states. Spends winters from the southern Atlantic coast states south to Central America. Preferred habitats include marshes, swamps, and wet meadows.

Breeding and Nesting

Black Rail: Four to thirteen brown-spotted, pale pink to white eggs are laid in a deep cup of finely woven soft grass, sedges, or other available vegetation. Nest is usually concealed in a clump of green grass, with grass arched over so it is hidden. Both parents incubate the eggs for about 28 days. Sometimes produces two broods per year.

Foraging and Feeding

Black Rail: Feeds on seeds of aquatic plants, grass, insects, and isopods (small crustaceans).

Vocalization

Black Rail: Usually silent, but during breeding season, male utters a repeated "kic-kee-doo" or "kic-kic-kerr."

Similar Species

Black Rail: Resembles chick of other rails, which lack white spots on upperparts and bars on flanks.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America