Black Rail - Ross Feldner The rail family is notoriously elusive but the Black Rail is the most elusive of them all. Its dark colors blend into marsh shadows where it stalks small invertebrates. Black Rails are easier to hear than see especially during spring nights when you can hear males repeating their ick-ee-kerr call. Their small sparrow-like size also makes them difficult to find. Black Rails prefer shallower water than other rails in North America, resulting in less competition. The downside to this preference is that there are more land predators in shallow water. Black Rails are so secretive that their feeding behavior is poorly known, but it's thought that they feed on a variety of insects, spiders, snails and small crustaceans. They nest in a well built cup of marsh plant material with a domed woven top and a ramp of dead vegetation leading up to the nest. The height of the nest depends on tidal levels. Threats to Black Rails are mainly sea-level rise and other changes to their marsh habitat as well as predation, human disturbances and oil and chemical spills. | |
