CreatureData

Virginia rail

Rallus limicola Vieillot, 1819

LCLeast Concernbirds

The virginia rail (Rallus limicola) is a species in the family Rallidae, order Gruiformes. Recorded adults weigh 72.1 g to 89.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the virginia rail

Weight
72.1 g – 89.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
19 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
7.2 – 8.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the virginia rail live?

Not recorded

What is the virginia rail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae.

These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a game species in some provinces and states, though rarely hunted. The Ecuadorian rail is often considered a subspecies, but some taxonomic authorities consider it distinct.

From the Wikipedia article “Virginia rail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia_rail&oldid=1380710938), 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 virginia rail endangered?

The virginia rail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  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 Least Concern species.

How is the virginia rail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGruiformes
  5. familyRallidae
  6. genusRallus
  7. SpeciesRallus limicola Vieillot, 1819

Synonyms Porzana auffenbergi, Rallus auffenbergi

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • Lesser railEnglish
  • مرعة فيرجينيةArabic
  • Rakig VirjiniaBreton
  • rascló de VirgíniaCatalan
  • chřástal virginskýCzech
  • rhegen fochlwydWelsh
  • MudderrikseDanish
  • VirginiarikseDanish
  • VirginiaralleGerman
  • Virginia-RalleGerman
  • virginia raloEsperanto
  • Rascón limícolaSpanish
  • Pollo de VirginiaSpanish
  • Rascón Cara GrisSpanish
  • Rascón de VirginiaSpanish
  • Rascón MenorSpanish
  • paduruikEstonian
  • amerikanluhtakanaFinnish
  • râle de VirginieFrench
  • Rálóg VirginiaIrish
  • riđoprsa kokošicaCroatian
  • virginiai guvatHungarian
  • Rallo della VirginiaItalian
  • Porciglione della VirginiaItalian
  • コオニクイナJapanese
  • virgininė vištelėLithuanian
  • Virdžīnijas dumbracālisLatvian
  • VirginiaralDutch
  • grynterikseNorwegian
  • wodnik błotnyPolish
  • frango-d'água-virginianoPortuguese
  • saracura-de-peito-laranjaPortuguese
  • Виргинский пастушокRussian
  • Центральноамериканский пастушокRussian
  • chriašteľ hnedýSlovak
  • Virdžinijski petlovanSerbian
  • virginiarallSwedish
  • Virjinya SukılavuzuTurkish
  • пастушок віргинськийUkrainian
  • пастушок віргінськийUkrainian
  • 弗吉尼亚秧鸡Chinese
  • 維吉尼亞秧雞Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the virginia rail

Other species in the same genus Rallus.

LC, Least Concern
Water rail (Rallus aquaticus)

Water rail

Rallus aquaticus

Rallidae

NT, Near Threatened
King rail (Rallus elegans)

King rail

Rallus elegans

Rallidae

CompareVirginia rail vs Water railVirginia rail vs African railVirginia rail vs Bogotá railVirginia rail vs Mangrove rail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the virginia rail?

An adult virginia rail weighs 72.1 g – 89.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the virginia rail endangered?

The virginia rail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the virginia rail?

The virginia rail (Rallus limicola) 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). Virginia rail (Rallus limicola). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/virginia-rail

MLA

“Virginia rail (Rallus limicola).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/virginia-rail.

BibTeX
@misc{virginia_rail_2026,
  title = {Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/virginia-rail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}