CreatureData

Black rail

Laterallus jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

ENEndangeredbirds

The black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) is a species in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. Recorded adults weigh 32.5 g to 36 g and live up to 2.4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis)
Photo: Hector Bottai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black rail

Weight
32.5 g – 36 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
2.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
7.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black rail live?

Not recorded

What is the black rail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) is a mouse-sized member of the rail family Rallidae that occurs in both North and South America. They typically range from 4.7-5.9 inches long, with a wingspan of 8.7-10.2 inches. It is the smallest rail present in North America and is known for its secretive nature.

From the Wikipedia article “Black rail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_rail&oldid=1381334581), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black rail endangered?

The black rail is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the black rail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGruiformes
  5. familyRallidae
  6. genusLaterallus
  7. SpeciesLaterallus jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Creciscus jamaicensis, Crescicus jamaicensis, Porzana jamaicensis, Rallus jamaicensis

Other names and names in other languages (45)
  • American black crakeEnglish
  • Least water-henEnglish
  • مرعة سوداءArabic
  • مرعة سوداء أمريكيةArabic
  • rasclet foscCatalan
  • chřástal tmavýCzech
  • rhegen ddu AmericaWelsh
  • Sort DværgrikseDanish
  • SchieferralleGerman
  • malhela raloEsperanto
  • Gallito NegroSpanish
  • Burrito CuyanoSpanish
  • Gallineta NegraSpanish
  • Gallinetita NegraSpanish
  • PidencitoSpanish
  • Polluela negraSpanish
  • Polluela negruzcaSpanish
  • tõmmu-pisiruikEstonian
  • mustarääkkäFinnish
  • râle noirFrench
  • Crág dhubh MheiriceánachIrish
  • mrka vizlinicaCroatian
  • juhász guvatHungarian
  • Rallo nerastroItalian
  • Rallo nero americanoItalian
  • クロコビトクイナJapanese
  • クロコクイナJapanese
  • jamaikinė švygždaLithuanian
  • madarainais ormanītisLatvian
  • zwarte dwergralDutch
  • perlerikseNorwegian
  • derkaczyk śniadyPolish
  • sanã-pretaPortuguese
  • Açanã-pretaPortuguese
  • franga-d'água-escuraPortuguese
  • Шиферный коростелёкRussian
  • Американский чёрный погонышRussian
  • chriašteľ tmavýSlovak
  • Američki crni barski petlićSerbian
  • svartrallSwedish
  • svart dvärgrallSwedish
  • Yazılı YelveTurkish
  • погонич американськийUkrainian
  • 黑田鸡Chinese
  • 黑南美田雞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black rail

Other species in the same genus Laterallus.

LC, Least Concern

Ruddy crake

Laterallus ruber

RallidaeNo free photo yet

CompareBlack rail vs White-throated crakeBlack rail vs Rufous-sided crakeBlack rail vs Galapagos crakeBlack rail vs Grey-breasted crake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black rail?

An adult black rail weighs 32.5 g – 36 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black rail endangered?

The black rail is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the black rail live?

The black rail has a recorded lifespan of 2.4 years.

What kind of animal is the black rail?

The black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) belongs to the family Rallidae in the order Gruiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-rail

MLA

“Black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-rail.

BibTeX
@misc{black_rail_2026,
  title = {Black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-rail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}