Virginia Rail
Rallus limicola · Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
Banding codeVIRA
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 9.5 in long.
2Color pattern
- Long, reddish, slightly curved bill
- Gray cheeks and rusty breast
- Black-and-white barred flanks
3Habitat & season
Cattail marshes
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in January, July, August and September.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
Grunting 'kid-ick' calls and descending pig-like grunts.
“kid-ick, kid-ick · oink-oink-oink”
iNat 213678093 by William Harmon · South Waterfowl Way, Farmington, UT, US · CC BY
Know it
- Its body is narrow side to side, letting it slip between reeds — 'thin as a rail.'
- Can swim and even dive, using its wings underwater.
- Some of its calls sound like descending pig grunts.
- Secretive in Utah's marshes; heard much more than seen.
Often confused with
Red-winged Blackbird- Yellow Rail
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The Virginia rail 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.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0