Rallus aquaticus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The water rail, western water rail or European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range. The adult is 23–28 cm (9–11 in) long, and, like other rails, has a body that is flattened laterally, allowing it easier passage through the reed beds it inhabits. It has mainly brown upperparts and blue-grey underparts, black barring on the flanks, long toes, a short tail and a long reddish bill. Immature birds are generally similar in appearance to the adults, but the blue-grey in the plumage is replaced by buff. The downy chicks are black, as with all rails. The former subspecies R. indicus has distinctive markings and a call that is very different from the pig-like squeal of the western rails, and is now usually split as a separate species, the brown-cheeked rail.
The water rail breeds in reed beds and other marshy sites with tall, dense vegetation, building its nest a little above the water level from whatever plants are available nearby. The off-white, blotched eggs are incubated mainly by the female, and the precocial downy chicks hatch in 19–22 days. The female will defend her eggs and brood against intruders, or move them to another location if they are discovered. This species can breed after its first year, and it normally raises two clutches in each season. Water rails are omnivorous, feeding mainly on invertebrates during summer and berries or plant stems towards winter. They are territorial even after breeding, and will aggressively defend feeding areas in winter.
These rails are vulnerable to flooding or freezing conditions, loss of habitat and predation by mammals and large birds. The introduced American mink has exterminated some island populations, but overall the species' huge range and large numbers mean that it is not considered to be threatened. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 3 | Almaty | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 4 | Sofia | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 9 | Seoul | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 10 | Srinagar | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Water Rail sighting in Copenhagen on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 84th most-seen of the 154 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Water Rail in Copenhagen on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Copenhagen's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 85 mm in August.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Water Rail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 42
Of the 42 cities where we can rate Water Rail sightings, Copenhagen ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, about 10%), Antalya (Turkey, about 10%) and Almaty (Kazakhstan, about 10%).
Same family: Rallidae
The closest relatives of the Water Rail that you can see in Copenhagen (family Rallidae, Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) are Eurasian Coot (about 70%) and Common Moorhen (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Water Rail is recorded against all the birds logged in Copenhagen (71 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
