Bird Album
King Rail
Rallus elegans Audubon, 1834
313 gWeight
The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a large, mostly brown rail native to North America, where it breeds in marshes.
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, Cuba, Canada
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, Cuba, Canada
King Rail has been recorded at 163 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (Anahuac)United States2,769 records
- Sweetwater Wetlands ParkUnited States2,269 records
- Lake Apopka North Shore – Orange County sectionUnited States1,982 records
More places
- Occoquan Bay NWRUnited States1,762 records
- Phinizy Swamp Nature ParkUnited States1,477 records
- Back Bay NWRUnited States1,378 records
- Lake Apopka Wildlife DriveUnited States1,004 records
- Tyrrell Park – Cattail MarshUnited States941 records
- Orlando WetlandsUnited States834 records
- Red Slough WMAUnited States762 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a large, mostly brown rail native to North America, where it breeds in marshes.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the King Rail?
The King Rail weighs around 313 g.
Where does the King Rail live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: eastern, central. It is most often recorded in United States, Cuba and Canada.
When is the best time to see the King Rail?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the King Rail endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the King Rail as Near Threatened.
What does the King Rail eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the King Rail in?
It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 313 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 158 mm
- Tail
- 58 mm
- Bill
- 59 mm
- Tarsus
- 53 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America: eastern, central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae
- Genus
- Rallus
Other birds in the genus Rallus
Ridgway's RailRallus obsoletus
Clapper RailRallus crepitans
Aztec RailRallus tenuirostris
Mangrove RailRallus longirostris
Plain-flanked RailRallus wetmorei
Virginia RailRallus limicola
Bogota RailRallus semiplumbeus
Ecuadorian RailRallus aequatorialis
Austral RailRallus antarcticus
Water RailRallus aquaticus
Brown-cheeked RailRallus indicus
African RailRallus caerulescens
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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