Mangoverde :: World Bird Guide :: Rails, Gallinules and Coots :: King Rail

King Rail Rallus elegans

Described by: Audubon (1834)
Alternate common name(s): Highland Rail, Mexican Clapper Rail
Old scientific name(s): None known by website authors

Photographs

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA - Jun 5, 2004 © Glen Tepke  Hawkeye Wildlife Area, Iowa, USA - May 12, 2004 © Kent Nickell  Iowa, USA - Sep, 2005 © Kent Nickell  Iowa, USA - Sep, 2005 © Kent Nickell  Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri, USA - Date unknown Courtesy of Jim Rathert/MO Conservation/USFWS 
Select thumbnail to view larger image - Place cursor over image for image information

Range

E. and se. North America;
(1) Se. Canada (ex. s. Ontario), c. and e. United States from e. South Dakota, c. Minnesota, e. Nebraska, Iowa, w. Wisconsin, s. Michigan, Ohio, w. New York s. through e. Kansas, and c. Oklahoma, s. Texas e. to w. Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida then n. along the Atlantic coast through e. South Carolina, e. North Carolina, e. Virginia to e. New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts (rarely). Very locally s. along the coast of e. Mexico from Tecolutla s. to Tlacotalpan, s. Veracruz.
Winters s. to e. Mexico.
(2) Sc. Mexico from s. Nayarit, Jalisco, Guanajuato and s. San Luis Potosi s. to Guerrero, Morelos and Puebla also on the Pacific coast in Colima.
(3) West Indies in Cuba and the Isle of Pines.
___________________________________________________________________________________
North America n. of Mexican Border;
Summer: isolated populations in nc. OKA, sc. KAN, nw. MOU, c. WIS (Horicon Marsh), ex. s. ONT, and nw. OHO (w. Lake Eire). Ex. s. NJY, e. MYD, DEL, e. VIR, e. NCA, SCA, GEO, FLA, s. ALA, s. MIS, LOU, e. TEX, and in the Mississippi Valley of e. ARK, w. TEN, w. KEN, sw. ILL, and se. MOU;
Winter: e. TEX, LOU, s. MIS, s. ALA, FLA, s. GEO, and less frequently in e. SCA, and se. NCA.

Videos

No videos are available for this species

Sounds

No sounds are available for this species

References

Clements, James F. Birds of the World: A Checklist. Vista, CA: Ibis Publishing Company, 2000.

Comments/Errors

Please email with errors/comments on this page or to donate photos.

If there is no family list to the left, you may have arrived at this page from a direct link.
Please select "Mangoverde World Bird Guide" to view the entire bird site.