Water Rail

How to identify

Field marks

1. Long red bill, slightly decurved
2. Adult of the nominate subspecies has black-and-white barring on the flanks
3. Adult of the nominate subspecies has a dark blue-gray upper belly
4. Adult of the nominate subspecies has an olive-brown back with black streaks

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in the nominate subspecies; female averages slightly smaller, with a more slender bill; juvenile has pale rufous or white underparts with dark barring.

Voice

Begins with a few grunts, followed by piglet-like squeals, then returns to grunts.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal

Water Rail has been recorded at 1,079 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 76 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Urdaibai RB – bird center y laguna de OruetaSpain2,980 records
2. International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel2,799 records
3. Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,153 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United KingdomSpainPortugalGermanyIsraelSwitzerlandTürkiyeFrance

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 water rail, western water rail or European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range. The adult is 23–28 cm (9–11 in) long, and, like other rails, has a body that is flattened laterally, allowing it easier passage through the reed beds it inhabits.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

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