Bird Album
Yellow Rail
Coturnicops noveboracensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
16–19 cmLength61 gWeight
The yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) is a small secretive marsh bird of the family Rallidae that is found in North America.
Busiest months: July · Most records: Canada, United States, Bermuda
Where and when it's recorded
Yellow Rail has been recorded at 88 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Longridge PointCanada1,244 records
- Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (Anahuac)United States588 records
- Little Piskwamish PointCanada438 records
More places
- Parc côtier Kiskotuk – Secteur marais du Gros-CacounaCanada182 records
- RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada134 records
- Red Slough WMAUnited States131 records
- ChurchillCanada75 records
- Carden Alvar – Wylie RoadCanada72 records
- Toronto – Ashbridge's Bay ParkCanada67 records
- Beaverhill Bird ObservatoryCanada58 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 yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) is a small secretive marsh bird of the family Rallidae that is found in North America.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Yellow Rail?
The Yellow Rail is about 16–19 cm long and weighs around 61 g.
Where does the Yellow Rail live?
Its breeding range: North America: eastern, central. It is most often recorded in Canada, United States and Bermuda.
When is the best time to see the Yellow Rail?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Yellow Rail endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow Rail as Least Concern.
What does the Yellow Rail eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Yellow Rail in?
It belongs to the family Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 16–19 cm
- Weight
- 61 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 86 mm
- Tail
- 33 mm
- Bill
- 15 mm
- Tarsus
- 24 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America: eastern, central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae
- Genus
- Coturnicops
Other birds in the genus Coturnicops
Swinhoe's RailCoturnicops exquisitus
Grey-throated RailCanirallus oculeus
Chestnut-headed CrakeAnurolimnas castaneiceps
Spotted RailPardirallus maculatus
Blackish RailPardirallus nigricans
Plumbeous RailPardirallus sanguinolentus
Ash-throated CrakeMustelirallus albicollis
Zapata RailMustelirallus cerverai
Colombian CrakeMustelirallus colombianus
Paint-billed CrakeMustelirallus erythrops
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Brandon Johnson. ↗
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