King Rail
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae Genus: Rallus Species: elegans
Binomial name
Rallus elegans

The King Rail, Rallus elegans, is a waterbird, the largest North American rail.

These birds have a long bill with a slight downward curve. Adults are brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They have a white throat and a light belly with barred flanks. Immature birds are light brown on the head and darker brown on the back and wings.

Their breeding habitat is marshes in eastern North America. The nest is a raised platform built with marsh vegetation and covered by a canopy. The King Rail interbreeds with the Clapper Rail where their ranges overlap; some researchers believe that these two birds belong to the same species.

Birds along the southeastern coasts of the United States are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico.

These birds forage in shallow water near cover. They mainly eat aquatic insects and crustaceans.

These birds are still fairly common in some coastal areas; interior populations have declined due to habitat loss.