Hi all - The bird in Elijah's yard in Zumbrota is not a Virginia Rail, unless the images are completely misleading. Among other things, the bill appears too large and is not red enough, the amount of gray in the cheeks is too limited, and the legs too dull. What I cannot necessarily rule out, however, is the possibility of this being a Gulf Coast Clapper Rail, which closely resembles a King Rail and has been recorded at least as far north as Nebraska. King Rail, of course, would be more likely in MN since it formerly bred in the state, although the most recent confirmed record was over 20 years ago. This rail should definitely be checked out and documented by others, and my compliments to Elijah and his wife for their nice images and for getting the news out so promptly.
Kim R Eckert, Duluth http://www.mbwbirds.com On May 27, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Elijah Parker wrote: Several people have suggested that it's a Virginia Rail, which I really should more seriously considered earlier (I had originally dismissed it due to the coloring -- most depictions of the Virginia Rail have significantly stronger coloring on the bill and eye, the the part where the wing overlaps the tail seems different). Upon further research, the main difference seems to be the size. As for size, this bird is definitely bigger than a Blue Jay, but necessarily as large as a Crow. I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking it's something it's not -- so please keep in mind I am not familiar with Rails and didn't realize how significant a King Rail would be. Still, to me, a King Rail seems most likely (when the significance is not considered). It's still here if anyone wants to check it out. 385 W 3rd St, Zumbrota, MN 55992. Call my cell for updates if you're heading this way: 612-492-1010. Any other advice is appreciated. Thanks! Elijah On Tue, May 27, 2014 at 1:36 PM, Hoeger-Lerdal <[email protected]> wrote: > how big was it? Virginia Rail is the default rail like this in MN---but > they are much smaller, more like blue jay size. > King Rail is like Crow size? > > > > On May 27, 2014, at 1:04 PM, Elijah Parker wrote: > >> My wife just spotted it in our garden! Here are some photos: >> > https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152109521456074.1073741826.728076073&type=1&l=f165b92d5a >> >> It was seen at 11:30am in our yard in Zumbrota at the corner of West 3rd >> Street and Mill >> >> I'm assuming it would be a King Rail, but in some ways it looks a little >> more like a Gulf Coast Clapper Rail. Can anyone confirm? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Elijah Parker >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
