The Virginia Rail is a secretive creature of freshwater and coastal marshes, hiding in cattails and other tall plants. It can be heard more often than it is seen. It is most often seen at dawn or dusk on the muddy edge of vegetation, where it will walk into and out of the open. Mark Zimmerman was fortunate to encounter the rail in his accompanying photo near the Edmonds marsh this past summer. It is highly unusual to catch one walking about in an open grassy area. If you are going to see one in Edmonds, watch for it or listen for it at the marsh. This species nests in the marsh and has been heard calling during winter months, so it is probably a year-round resident in very small numbers.

The Virginia Rail’s long bill is designed for plucking insects, crayfish and snails, which comprise most of its diet. Insects include flies, beetles and dragonflies. Seeds may be important to diet at times. This rail forages by probing its bill in mud or shallow water. It will also stalk small creatures and capture them with a quick thrust of its bill.

There are several different courtship displays. The male will run back and forth near the female with his wings raised. Both will make bowing motions. Finally, the male will feed the female. Both will build the nest, which is in a dry area of a marsh or over shallow water. It will be placed a few inches up in a clump of vegetation. The nest is a platform of grasses, reeds and cattails. The pair will build a number of dummy nests in addition to the one used. The female lays 5 – 13 eggs that are incubated by both parents for about three weeks. The young leave the nest soon after hatching but both parents continue to care for them and feed them. The young become independent after about three weeks of age. They can fly at about 25 days. The family stays together until the chicks are grown. The parents may then depart while the young remain.

Most Virginia Rails migrate as far as the southern U.S., northern Mexico, and some as far south as Guatemala. Some in the west are thought to be permanent residents. This species can be seen in winter, even in snowy regions of Washington. That indicates that at least of portion of the nesting population remains in the state all year in areas of at least some open water.

The forehead feathers of the Virginia Rail are adapted to withstand wear from pushing its way through dense vegetation. This and other rail species have the highest ratio of leg muscles to flight muscles of any birds.

The international conservation status of the Virginia Rail is that of least concern. It is not protected by any special designation. There is little information on population trends but, as a denizen of mostly freshwater marshes, this species is vulnerable to loss of marsh habitat.

You can hear the call of a Virginia Rail at this site: https://www.xeno-canto.org/28269. Its spring song can be heard here: https://www.xeno-canto.org/228879.