Photo © 2004 R. Hays Cummins. All rights reserved

Soras

Unless you do a lot of crossword puzzles you've probably never encountered the Sora (Porzana carolina). Soras are Rails - laterally compressed, seldom seen shorebirds - that inhabit thick stands of reeds, grasses and cattails. From the side they appear to be about the size of a small chicken but when seen from the end they're startlingly thin which allows them to slip easily between the stems and stalks of their watery habitat (hence the phrase: "As thin as a rail".)

Rails are well adapted to the watery world they inhabit. In addition to their slim bodies they posses keen eyesight and large, strong feet that distributes their weight over a wide area making walking on submerged vegetation easy.

While rails can fly they dislike doing so. Should you, by chance, encounter one (rails are more often heard than seen) in its reedy home the bird will invariably slip back into the reeds rather than fly away. Even when encountered in open areas they still prefer foot travel than flight. In spite of this reluctance to fly from danger these birds are actually strong fliers and make long migratory flights.

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