King Rail

King Rail in New Brunswick - No Way!

King Rail

On May 7 Jim Wilson announced the sighting of a King Rail at McLaren’s Pond, Fundy National Park.  It was reported as an ‘amazing’ discovery and indeed it was.  There have been only 3 previous sightings of this species in New Brunswick.  Two were found dead; one at Point Lepreau in September, 1952 and one at Gardner Creek, Saint John County in October, 1994 (Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List).  The third bird was photographed by Chris Kennedy while doing a breeding bird atlas along the Petitcodiac River in June, 2007.  Nova Scotia has three records and two birds were seen in southern Maine in recent years (as per Jim Wilson).

King Rail Showing Orange Breast and Red Iris

The King Rail (Rallus elegans) is the largest member of the rail family, Rallidae.  Other rail species that are native to New Brunswick in the summer are the Sora and the Virginia Rail.  Rails are secretive birds that live in close proximity to water, especially marshes and wetlands.  The Sora, Virginia Rail and King Rail prefer fresh water habitats and the Clapper Rail prefers salt or brackish marshes.  They like thick vegetation in which to hide, feed and nest.  They occasionally come out in the open but quickly duck back into cover.  The King Rail builds an intricately woven nest with a woven canopy and a sloping ramp entrance.

The King Rail feeds on aquatic insects, crustaceans, frogs, clams and seeds of marsh plants.  They will feed away from water (e.g., this individual appeared to be eating earthworms and insects found in mown grass) but most often feed in long marsh grass and pond plants.  It is reported that they will sometimes carry their food to water and dunk it before eating.

King Rail Showing Side Barring

The King Rail is a spectacular rail as its name suggests.  It is 38 cm (15 in) long and a bit bigger than the Clapper Rail which it closely resembles.  The King Rail is the size of a chicken and really impressive to see as it quietly walks along heavy pond vegetation.  It normally inhabits the coastal areas of southeastern US from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas.  In summer it sometimes migrates up the Mississippi River.  ‘Casual’ sightings have been reported from Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.  

The population of the King Rail is in decline due to habitat loss or degradation, toxic environments. accidental trappings, and hunting pressures in some parts of the US.  The King Rail was first described in 1834 by John James Audubon who did a beautiful painting of a pair of the birds.  I wonder how many tens of thousands of years this species existed before it was first described.  It certainly was known by the early inhabitants of North America who called it the ‘marsh hen’ or various aboriginal names.

King Rail Showing Orange Superciliary Line

The King Rail and the Clapper Rail look very much alike.  There is considerable variability within both species.  Some subspecies of the Clapper Rail look much like King Rails. The California race (of Clapper Rail), for example, is more orange in colour and looks even more like the King Rail but that population is considered to be non-migratory.  To make identification even more difficult, the two species sometimes hybridize.  The Cornell Ornithology site states that recently the King Rail species has been split into two species and the Clapper Rail species has been split into three.  The remaining Clapper Rail species has 8 subspecies.  A complex group!

King Rail Showing Burnt Orange Wing Covert 

The King Rail is larger than the Clapper Rail.  My first impression of the bird was its large size, its bill appeared long and thick and the bird looked dark in colour especially the orange which in some places is a burnt orange.  The colours on the King Rail are more saturated than those of the Clapper Rail, making the Clapper Rail look more muted or grayish overall.  The King Rail is overall browner and more orange.  As seen in the photos above, the barring on the sides of the King Rail are bold and that of the Clapper Rail are less so.  The burnt orange on the breast and wing coverts of the King Rail contrast with the more muted grayish or brownish of the Clapper Rail.  The feathers on the back are more heavily streaked with brownish black and edged with olive or brown in the King Rail and the top of the head is brown compared to black or gray in the Clapper Rail.  The Clapper Rail supposedly has a more prominent white superciliary line but this appears to be a subtle difference.  It appeared orange in the Fundy bird.  After close examination of the differences in these two species as outlined in the bird guides (Sibley and National Geographic) it is clear that there are few distinct differences in these two species, given geographic location and hybridization.  In my opinion, the only clear differences are the size, the orange breast and wing coverts of the King Rail along with the much darker plumage and the chestnut edges to the feathers on the back.  Voice and habitat can provide some help but a serious look at the individual is necessary to get a correct identification.

A very interesting species to find in New Brunswick!  To watch it slowly walk out of the thick bush and feed on the grass and then slink away to hide and rest again was indeed a privilege for us northern birders.  Carry on, King Rail.  You are welcome here.