Sora

Porzana Carolina

Have you ever heard of a Sora? (If you read our newsletter the answer might be yes!)

This rail is hard to spot. In fact, it is listed as uncommon on the Refuge, even though it is known to nest here. The fact that they are so hard to see is even more impressive when you learn that the Sora is the most abundant rail in North America. You may have heard some other names for them, including: Carolina rail, soree, meadow chicken, and Ortolan. The name Ortolan was probably given to them by hunters wanting to eat this small bird, which, much like the actual Ortolan, is a bunting from Europe that is an illegal delicacy in France.

With stubby wings and chubby bodies, these shy little birds are described as secretive and nervous in their movements- issuing their descending whinny call from the cattails and moving slowly, exposed mostly by their candy-corn shaped orange beak, and the white flash of a tail feather as it is flicked. Their stance is reminiscent of a chicken, with much longer toes.

Sora spend most of the year in freshwater and brackish wetlands with cattail, sedges, and rushes, and migrate along flooded fields and wet pastures. They primarily eat seeds from wetland plants, but also eat aquatic invertebrates. They rake floating vegetation with their long toes in search of sedge, bulrush, grass, rice, and smartweed seeds. They also peck at the water’s surface for seeds and aquatic insects such as snails, dragonflies, flies, and beetles.

When it comes to mating and nesting, pairs court each other with a 15–30-minute stare-down followed by preening. The females then build the nests from vegetation brought by the males, and begin to lay eggs as soon as it’s built. Adding to their hidden nature, the female will even pull vegetation down from above to provide a roof for her nest.

Did You Know? Soras might not look like they can’t fly long distances, but they fly hundreds of miles each spring and fall to wetlands in Central and South America.