{{short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | name = Black rail | image = Laterallus jamaicensis - Black Rail; Arari, Maranhão, Brazil.jpg | image_caption = Black rail in Maranhão, Brazil | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2021 |title=''Laterallus jamaicensis'' |article-number=e.T22692353A178666347 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22692353A178666347.en}}</ref> | genus = Laterallus | species = jamaicensis | authority = (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | range_map = Laterallus jamaicensis map.svg | range_map_caption = {{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}{{leftlegend|#9955ff|Year-round}}{{leftlegend|#5f8dd3|Non-breeding}} }}
The '''black rail''' ('''''Laterallus jamaicensis''''') is a mouse-sized member of the rail family Rallidae that occurs in both North and South America. It is the smallest rail present in North America and is known for its secretive nature.
==Taxonomy== [[File:Laterallus jamaicensis 33259511.jpg|thumb|Eastern black rail (''L. j. jamaicensis'') caught for a scientific banding project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States]]
The black rail was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with all the rails in the genus ''Rallus'' and coined the binomial name ''Rallus jamaicensis''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1789 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 2 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | pages=718–719 | url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0003unse/page/158/mode/1up }}</ref> Gmelin based his description on the "Least water hen" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his ''Gleanings of Natural History''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Edwards | first=George | year=1760 | title=Gleanings of Natural History, Exhibiting Figures of Quadrupeds, Birds, Insects, Plants &c | volume=2 | location=London | publisher=Printed for the author | pages=142–143; Plate 278 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/57914849 }}</ref> Edwards had obtained a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from Jamaica by Patrick Browne. Browne had briefly mentioned the rail in his book "The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica".<ref>{{ cite book | last=Browne | first=Patrick | author-link=Patrick Browne (physician) | year=1756 | title=The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica | location=London | publisher=Printed for the author, and sold by T. Osborne and J. Shipton | page=479 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11268000 }}</ref> The black rail is now placed with 12 other small rails and crakes in the genus ''Laterallus'' that was introduced in 1855 by George Robert Gray.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gray | first=George Robert | author-link=George Robert Gray | year=1855 | title=Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum | location=London | publisher=British Museum | page=120 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17136759}}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date= August 2022 | title=Flufftails, finfoots, rails, trumpeters, cranes, limpkin | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/flufftails/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=13 October 2022 }}</ref> The genus name is a portmanteau of ''Rallus lateralis'', a synonym of the binomial name for the rufous-sided crake, the type species of the genus. The specific epithet ''jamaicensis'' is from "Jamaica", the type locality.<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n219/mode/1up 219], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n210/mode/1up 210]}}</ref>
There are five recognized subspecies:<ref name=ioc/> * California rail, ''L. j. coturniculus'' {{small|(Ridgway, 1874)}} – found in both fresh and salt water marshes of California and Arizona, and is a resident species. The California rail can be distinguished from other subspecies by its shorter bill, and brown crown and upper back.<ref name=bow/> The California Fish and Game Commission listed ''L. j. coturniculus'' as Threatened in 1971 due to loss of wetland habitat.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal | last1=Tsao | first1=Danika C. | last2=Melcer, Jr.| first2=Ronald E.|last3=Bradbury|first3=Michael|date=2015|title=Distribution and habitat associations of California Black Rail (''Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus'') in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta|journal=San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science|volume=13|issue=4|doi=10.15447/sfews.2015v13iss4art4|issn=1546-2366|doi-access=free}}</ref> * Eastern black rail, ''L. j. jamaicensis'' {{small|(Gmelin, JF, 1789)}} – found in eastern North America, the Caribbean, and Central America. Nicknamed the "feathered mouse",<ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news |last1=Loller |first1=Travis |title=Elusive eastern black rail threatened by rising sea levels |url=https://apnews.com/article/habitat-destruction-wildlife-climate-change-rising-sea-levels-climate-5a8ea861445582c2625d93ba82069c70 |work=Associated Press |date=7 October 2020}}</ref> the subspecies is partially migratory, with the population breeding in north-central and northeastern United States wintering further south. The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared ''L. j. jamaicensis'' a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in October 2020.<ref name="Associated Press"/> The eastern black rail can be differentiated from other subspecies by its gray crown and light brown nape.<ref name=bow>{{cite journal | last1=Eddleman | first1=W.R. | last2=Flores | first2=R.E. | last3=Legare | first3=M. | year=2020 | title=Black Rail (''Laterallus jamaicensis''), version 1.0 | editor1-last=Poole | editor1-first=A.F. | editor2-last=Gill | editor2-first=F.B. | journal=Birds of the World | location=Ithaca, NY, USA | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | doi=10.2173/bow.blugrb1.01 }}</ref> * ''L. j. murivagans'' {{small|(Riley, 1916)}} – found in coastal Peru. This subspecies is overall paler, with white bars in the undertail coverts, distinguishing it from other subspecies. There is little information available on this subspecies.<ref name=bow/> * ''L. j. salinasi'' {{small|(Philippi, 1857)}} – found in central Chile and adjacent parts of Argentina, and is the southernmost subspecies. On average, this subspecies is larger than the other subspecies. This subspecies can be distinguished from the others by the large rufus patch on the upper back.<ref name=bow/> *Junin rail or Junin crake, ''L. j.tuerosi'' {{small|Fjeldså, 1983}} – only found in the marshes of Lake Junin, in the Andean highlands of Peru. The Junin Rail is considered Endangered because of habitat loss within its limited range. The Junín rail can be distinguished from other subspecies by its plain undertail coverts and pale legs.<ref name=bow/>
Their taxonomy is in need of a review. Especially the Junin rail has a distinctive plumage and is often considered a separate species (rather than a subspecies of the black rail), but its voice, while showing some differences, generally resembles that of the two other South American subspecies, ''L. j. murivagans'' and ''L. j. salinasi''.<ref name=SACCtuerosi>{{cite web| title=Elevate Laterallus jamaicensis tuerosi to species status | url=https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop536.htm | date=1 July 2012 | publisher=South American Classification Committee | access-date=11 November 2023 }}</ref><ref name=Dinesen2017>{{cite journal| last1=Dinesen | first1=L. | last2=Chamorro | first2=A. | last3=Fjeldså | first3=J. | last4=Aucca | first4=C- | year=2017 |title=Distribution and habitat description of Junín Rail Laterallus tuerosi, Andean Peru | journal=Bird Conservation International | volume=27 | issue=3 | pages=388–397 | doi=10.1017/S0959270916000599 }}</ref> However, their voices are quite distinct from the voices of black rails of North America. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the Galapagos crake, another member of the black rail species complex, has a voice that resembles that of the South American black rails.<ref name=SACCtuerosi/> Genetic data is lacking for most members of the complex, except the Galapagos crake which diverged from the North American black rail about 1.2 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chaves|first1=Jaime A.|last2=Martinez-Torres|first2=Pedro J.|last3=Depino|first3=Emiliano A.|last4=Espinoza-Ulloa|first4=Sebastian|last5=García-Loor|first5=Jefferson|last6=Beichman|first6=Annabel C.|last7=Stervander|first7=Martin|date=2020-11-12|title=Evolutionary History of the Galápagos Rail Revealed by Ancient Mitogenomes and Modern Samples|journal=Diversity|language=en|volume=12|issue=11|page=425|doi=10.3390/d12110425|issn=1424-2818|doi-access=free|hdl=10141/622880|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
==Description== The black rail is a small black bird with a short bill. Black rails weigh 29–46 g, are 12–15 cm in length, and have a wingspan of 22–28 cm.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book | last1=Hoyo | first1=Josep del | last2=Elliott | first2=Andrew | last3=Sargatal | first3=Jordi | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Hoatzin to auks | publisher=Lynx Edicions | publication-place=Barcelona | date=1992 | isbn=84-87334-20-2 | volume=3 | page=158}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Black Rail Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Rail/id|access-date=2020-09-27|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref> The body is dark, with white speckles along the back and wings. Both the beak and legs are dark. The eye is brown in juveniles, and gradually becomes red at around 3 months old.<ref name="HBW"/><ref name=bow/> It is the smallest rail in North America.<ref name="bow" />
It will often make its presence known by its voice. In North America, it has a distinctive ''ki-ki-krr'' call or an aggressive, presumably territorial, growl. This is primarily uttered during the night, when these birds are most vocal.<ref name="Hauber2014">{{cite book|last=Hauber|first=Mark E.|title=The Book of Eggs: A Life-Size Guide to the Eggs of Six Hundred of the World's Bird Species|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=evQvBAAAQBAJ|date=1 August 2014|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-05781-1|page=58}}</ref> The peak of vocalization is during the first two weeks of May, when breeding and courtship behaviors are also at their peak.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/species/fieldguide/view/Laterallus%20jamaicensis/|title=Wildlife Field Guide for New Jersey's Endangered and Threatened Species - Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey|website=www.conservewildlifenj.org|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref> The South American subspecies have a quite different voice.<ref name=SACCtuerosi/>
==Distribution and habitat== It is found in scattered parts of North America, the Caribbean, and South America, usually in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes. The most suitable habitat for the Black Rail are high marshes. High marsh habitats provide an ideal environment for the Black Rail, as it spends most of its time concealed within the vegetation found in this area. The bird's unique habitat choice is primarily driven by its foraging habits. While the Black Rail stays in the drier areas of the marsh, it strategically selects locations adjacent to the low marsh regions that experience occasional inundation during spring tides. These wetter parts of the marsh serve as essential foraging grounds where the Black Rail can find mud-dwelling invertebrates. The dry areas provide safe spaces for nesting by protecting their nests from flooding during high tide. The high marsh habitat is characterized by large stretches of grasses interspersed with patches of open salt panne. The salt panne is typically dry for the majority of the year but experiences periodic flooding during extreme spring tides. In the Florida Gulf Coast marshes, one of the most common grass species in the high marsh is the marsh-hay cordgrass, which is favored by the Black Rail.<ref name="ABA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aba.org/codebreakers-how-to-find-the-elusive-black-rail/|title=CODEBREAKERS: How to Find the Elusive Black Rail|website=aba.org|date=26 April 2023 |access-date=25 July 2023}}</ref> It is extinct or threatened in many locations due to habitat loss. The largest populations in North America are in Florida and California.
==Behavior and ecology== The black rail is rarely seen and prefers running in the cover of the dense marsh vegetation to flying.<ref name="bow" />
===Breeding=== This rail is territorial during the breeding season, and occasionally males will mate with two or more females.<ref name="Hauber2014"/> The nests of this bird are placed on the ground, in dense, swampy vegetation or in patches of flooded grass. The nests are bowl-shaped and built with vegetation loosely woven.<ref name="Hauber2014"/>
The clutch of this bird usually consists of six to eight creamy white speckled, with reddish-brown spots, eggs. These eggs are roundish and measure around {{convert|23|by|17|mm|in|sp=us}}. They are incubated by both parents, taking shifts of approximately one hour each, for 16 to 20 days. The precocial young then hatch.
In 2015, a breeding population of black rails in South Carolina was rediscovered using camera traps by state biologists.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hand|first1=Christine E.|last2=Znidersic|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Tegeler|first3=Amy K.|date=2019-06-27|title=First Documentation of Eastern Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) Breeding in South Carolina, USA in More Than a Century|journal=Waterbirds|volume=42|issue=2|page=237|doi=10.1675/063.042.0212|s2cid=198258859|issn=1524-4695}}</ref>
In 2023, the first-ever breeding population of black rails was discovered in Louisiana using motion-activated camera traps. Researchers documented adults with at least one chick on two separate occasions. <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Monopoli |first1=Lauren F. |last2=Johnson |first2=Erik I. |last3=Lueck |first3=Jonathon T. |last4=Benson |first4=Thomas J. |last5=Woodrey |first5=Mark S. |last6=Fournier |first6=Auriel M.V. | date = 2024-10-22 |title=The First Documented Case of Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus j. jamaicensis) Breeding in Louisiana, U.S.A |journal=Waterbirds |volume=47 |issue=2 |page=1-5 |doi=10.1675/063.047.0204 |url=https://bioone.org/journals/waterbirds/volume-47/issue-2/063.047.0204/The-First-Documented-Case-of-Eastern-Black-Rail-Laterallus-j/10.1675/063.047.0204.short|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
=== Food and feeding === The black rail is an opportunistic feeder and consumes a wide range of food. Its diet includes seeds, insects, crustaceans and mollusks. The black rail forages by feeding along the water lines after high and low tide.<ref name=":2" />
===Threats=== Under the IUCN Red List, the black rail is listed as endangered with decreasing populations. The IUCN estimates there are between 10,000 – 50,000 mature individuals remaining. The largest threats to the black rail are habitat destruction and severe weather events.<ref name="iucn status"/> In August 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft recovery plan for the Eastern black rail.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=Eastern Black Rail Draft Recovery Plan {{!}} U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2025-08/eastern-black-rail-draft-recovery-plan |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=www.fws.gov |language=en}}</ref> This draft plan estimated that it would cost $433 million and 60 years to save the eastern black rail from extinction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doyle |first=Michael |date=18 August 2025 |title=E&E News: Endangered marsh bird needs $433M lifeline, feds say |url=https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/08/18/endangered-marsh-bird-needs-433m-lifeline-feds-say-00513318 |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=PoliticoPro |language=en}}</ref>
The wetland habitat that the black rail depends on has steadily declined through the last several decades, due to draining for development and conversion to agricultural land.<ref name=":1" />
In addition to declining populations and increasing threats, the black rail is also affected by the lack of scientific studies available. Because of the secretive and hard to observe nature of the bird, this species is one of the "most understudied marsh birds in North America".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roach |first=Nicolette S. |last2=Barrett |first2=Kyle |date=December 2015 |title=Managed Habitats Increase Occupancy of Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis) and May Buffer Impacts from Sea Level Rise |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13157-015-0695-6 |journal=Wetlands |language=en |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=1065–1076 |doi=10.1007/s13157-015-0695-6 |issn=0277-5212|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="iucn status"/>
They are preyed upon by many avian (hawks, egrets, and herons) and mammalian (foxes and cats) predators, and rely on the cover of thick marsh vegetation for protection. High tides are a dangerous time for black rails, as they are quite vulnerable to predation outside the marsh.<ref name="bow" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20030326234818/http://audubon2.org/webapp/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=37 Black Rails on the Audubon watch list] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20041014021642/http://www.hualamo.com/articulo1.htm Back Rails in Chile] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20041112003941/http://nature.berkeley.edu/~beis/rail/ Black Rails in inland marshes] *[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/birds/florida-bird-sounds/ Black Rail Bird Sound] *[https://www.postandcourier.com/longform/few-will-ever-see-scs-elusive-black-rail-will-climate-change-make-it-vanish-forever/article_fef70ae8-c1ea-11ea-a6dc-c795a69e5e82.html Black Rail Video]
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black rail Category:Birds of the Americas Category:Native birds of the Western United States Category:Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Category:Native birds of the Southeastern United States Category:Birds of the Caribbean Category:Birds of Mexico Category:Birds of Belize Category:Birds of Costa Rica Category:Birds of the Dominican Republic Category:Birds of Chile Category:Birds of Peru black rail black rail