An elegant dweller of freshwater and brackish marshes, the King Rail is a rich buffy bird with crisp stripes on its sides. This largest of North America’s rails is very secretive as it slips through short marsh vegetation in search of crayfish, crabs, and frogs.

The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a waterbird, the largest North American rail. Description. At Huntley Meadows in Virginia. Distinct features are a long bill with a slight downward curve, with adults being brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They also have a white throat and a light belly with barred ...

A chicken-sized marsh bird, the largest of our rails. Nesting in fresh-water marshes of the east, the King Rail has become an uncommon species as many wetlands have been drained. It remains locally...

An elegant dweller of freshwater and brackish marshes, the King Rail is a rich buffy bird with crisp stripes on its sides. This largest of North America’s rails is very secretive as it slips through short marsh vegetation in search of crayfish, crabs, and frogs.

Large, bright rail of freshwater marshes. Generally uncommon to rare across range. Note rich orange neck and face, contrasty black-and-white barring on sides, and rich brownish upperparts with distinct dark streaks.

The King Rail was first described in 1834 by the preeminent ornithologist and artist John James Audubon. This largest North American rail species is about the size of a chicken and is sometimes locally called the "Marsh Hen."

Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Basic facts about King rail: lifespan, distribution and habitat map, lifestyle and social behavior, mating habits, diet and nutrition, population size and status.

The King Rail is very similar as an adult to the Clapper Rail, but is more frequently found in freshwater marshes. Adults are easily separated from East Coast Clapper Rails by their rich reddish brown head, neck plumage. The reddish upperwings separate …

The King Rail is the freshwater cousin of the saltwater-loving Clapper Rail. King Rails are at home anywhere there is a large cattail marsh. The biggest existing threat to King Rails is probably the draining of marshes across its breeding range, which extends across much of the eastern U.S. and barely into Ontario.