Bird of the day
King rail
Rallus elegans
The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a waterbird, the largest North American rail.
Distinct features are a long bill with a slight downward curve, with adults being brown on the back and rusty-brown on the face and breast with a dark brown cap. They also have a white throat and a light belly with barred flanks. Undertail coverts are white and are displayed by the male during courtship. Immature birds are covered in down, with light brown on the head and darker brown on the back and wings.
This bird's call is a low repeated grunt transcribed as kek-kek-kek.
Aliases
Rallus elegans