Sora

Overview

Sora: Small rail with dark gray-brown upperparts with black-and-white streaks. Breast is gray and flanks and belly are dark gray with white bars. Gray head has a darker crown and nape, and black face, chin, and throat. Bill is yellow with dark tip. Low, weak, and floppy flight over short distances.

Range and Habitat

Sora: Breeds from southeastern Alaska, east to Newfoundland, and south locally to northwestern Baja California, southern New Mexico, eastern Colorado, southern Missouri, central Ohio, and Maryland. Winters from central California, to southern Texas and the Gulf Coast, and south through Central America to South America. Prefers freshwater marshes, flooded fields, and swamps.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Sora is the most common and widely distributed rail in North America. It is sometimes also referred to as the Sora Rail or Sora Crake. Although shot in large numbers every year, their high reproductive rate enables them to maintain a stable population. Their greatest threat is the destruction of the freshwater marshes where they breed: they have consequently become scarce in heavily populated areas. A group of soras are collectively known as an "ache", "expression", and "whinny" of soras.