Rail
Eastern Black Rail
Seasonal Restriction Dates:
April 1–July 31
Restriction Notes:
- No construction may occur within the restricted dates if suitable nesting habitat is found within the project footprint; a survey may remove this restriction.
Photo Credit: USFWS
Identification tips from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
The Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis ssp. jamaicensis) is gray-black in coloration, with white speckled upperparts, and has a grayish crown, a chestnut-colored nape of the neck, and a short tail, as described by Cornell University in 2019. These secretive birds have red eyes, black bills and dusty pink or wine-colored legs. Chicks are covered with a black down that has an oily green sheen, as described by Ridgway and Friedmann in 1941 and later by McMullen in 1944. Juveniles look similar to adults, except their eyes are amber or hazel until 3 months of age, as noted by Cornell University in 2019.
Nesting Habitat:
While the species may be observed migrating across the entire state, nesting only occurs in dense vegetative cover near salt, brackish, or freshwater marshes, or wet sedge meadows in western Oklahoma.
