Tiny, reclusive marsh birds with a distinctive song, Black Rails are a locally common breeder in the Mittry Lake area. Although they are easy to hear during the breeding season, they are virtually impossible to see. They're the size of a sparrow, and easily remain hidden in their grassy marsh habitat. The most reliable way to ID them is by voice.

Family: Rails (Rallidae)
Genus & Species: Laterallus jamaicensis
Identification:
 - Size: 6" length, 9" wingspan, 1.1 oz weight
 - Male color and appearance: Blackish/dark gray body with a white-speckled back and a rufous nape. Tiny, pointed black bill. The eye is red.
 - Female ID: Like male but a bit lighter gray, and with a white throat patch.
 - Juvenile ID: A bit lighter than adults, with the eyes turning from olive-green to brown to red as they age.
 - Flight: Weak and fluttering with legs dangling below - prefers to skulk in the reeds.
Feeding Behavior: Consumes invertebrates, including beetles, spiders, ants, and snails. During the winter Black Rails also eat bulrush and cattail seeds.
Similar Species: Virginia Rail chicks are also blackish, so a brief look at a tiny dark rallid during the breeding season may not be conclusive. The best way to ID this species is by voice.
Songs and Calls: Most common vocalization is a loud "Kee-Kee-Derr" call given repeatedly. If more than one rail is in the area, you might also hear the aggression call, a grinding "Grrr-Grrr-Grrr". The birds also have an assortment of other calls, including some that sound like gallinules or Soras. Starts to call in the early spring and is quite vocal by April. Continues calling throughout the early summer, but with less frequency after the breeding season. Virtually silent in the late fall and winter. The birds are most vocal just prior to sunrise and at dusk, but will also call throughout the morning (especially during the spring). The Black Rails here do not usually call during the middle of the night like their eastern seaboard cousins.
Status: Locally common in its prefered marshy habitat.
Habitat: In our area, usually found in bulrush marshes, but will also nest in other wet grassy areas. Since they are so small, they are found in extremely shallow marshes, or at the edge of deeper marshes, where the water does not exceed 1" in depth (1" is the approximate tarsal length in Black Rails).
Breeding Range:
 - Southern CA: West Pond (just west of Imperial Dam). Has also been heard along the New River and the Niland Marshes, where it might have bred. May also breed on the California side of the Laguna Division Conservation Area.
 - AZ: Mittry Lake, Imperial, Havasu, and Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuges, and several other suitable marshes in the Colorado River Valley.
Wintering Range: Most, if not all, remain here throughout the winter. These rails, however, are extremely difficult to detect during the winter season, and during some Christmas Bird Counts none are located.
Known breeding locations: Common at Mittry Lake and West Pond.
Notes: Black Rails are listed as endangered in Arizona and threatened in California, and any sort of harrassment is against the law. Using playback to elict songs or calls is considered harrassment. Please be patient, the birds will call spontaneously during the spring breeding season.