7

Water Rails are medium-sized wetland birds. They have highly cryptic plumage. The upperparts, from crown via hindneck and back to uppertail, including the wing coverts, are brown, with black feather centres. The sides of the head and the front, from chin to belly, are bluish-grey. The lower belly and vent area are buff, while the undertail is white. The flanks are barred blank-and-white, fusing into black-and-buff towards the rear. The irises are orange-brown. Their long, red, slightly down-curved bill, with a slightly darker upper mandible than the lower one, makes Water Rails unmistakable in Europe. Legs and feet are yellowish-grey. While the upperparts and flanks of juveniles resemble those of adults, the sides of the head and the front are pale and on the sides lightly barred. The bill is brownish-grey.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Water Rail is available HERE .

Water Rails are a partly sedentary, partly migratory species with 3 generally accepted races. Their general distribution ranges from Iceland, via temperate Eurasia to northern Africa, the Levant, parts of Arabia and the Indian subcontinent. Nominate race "aquaticus" breeds in Europe, northern Africa, Asia Minor, western Asia to the Caspian Sea and western Kazakhstan, and in a narrow band eastward to central Siberia. Race "korejewi" breeds in southern central Asia from southern and eastern Iran eastward to eastern China and on the Indian subcontinent in Kashmir and Ladakh. Race "hibernans" is restricted to Iceland.

In Europe Water Rails of nominate race "aquaticus" are sedentary primarily in Iberia and around much of the northern Mediterraean coastline, including the Mediterranean islands, and in western and parts of central Europe (western France, the Benelux countries, Germany, southern Denmark). They are also sedentary in Britain and Ireland. Elsewhere, they are breeding migrants to southern central, south-eastern and eastern Europe, up to a latitude of ca. 60 degrees (hence including southern Scandinavia), with the exception of the high mountain ranges and the eastern Adriatic coastal fringe. In southern Portugal they mostly overwinter.

Water Rails have a preference for well-vegetated wetlands with tall reeds for both breeding and overwintering.

Race "aquaticus"