The Virginia rail is rarely seen. Its compact, narrow body is built for living in dense plant cover. It is 7.9–10.6 inches (20–27 cm) in length with a 12.6-15 inch (32–38 cm) wingspan.
It has a chicken-like body with a short tail and strong legs. It is reddish in color with gray cheeks and a long, curved red bill. Males and females look alike, but males are a bit larger.
Freshwater marshes and wetlands are the usual habitats of the Virginia rail. It is sometimes found in salt marshes.
The most important features of its habitat are shallow water, heavy plant cover, and lots of food.
The Virginia rail probes standing water, moist soil, and mudflats with its long bill to find food. It eats small aquatic invertebrates such as beetles, spiders, and snails.
It also eats fish, frogs, and small snakes. In the winter, when food is less available, the Virginia rail eats aquatic plants and seeds.
Male and female pairs build their nest in May. The nest is built in a marsh with lots of plant cover. Above their nest, they build a canopy by weaving surrounding tall plants for added protection. The Virginia rail often builds several dummy nests in its territory.
The female lays 8-9 eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs, and the young hatch after 19 days.
The young chicks are precocial and develop very quickly. They are running around the nest, drinking, and swimming only 11 hours after hatching.
The Virginia rail has a lifespan of 2-5 years in the wild.
The Virginia rail has very strong legs and weak wings. With its strong legs, it can walk and run on floating marsh plants. It only flies during migration.
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The Virginia rail breeds in New Hampshire. It migrates south in the fall.
The Virginia rail is found throughout the northern and western United States and throughout southern Canada.
In the winter, the Virginia rail is found in Mexico, all of Florida, and along the southeastern and Gulf Coasts of the United States.
