A water rail or Rallus aquaticus, is a tiny bird with yellow legs and a red beak. This animal mainly lives in the marshes and wetlands of Europe and Asia. It is typically dark in color, so it can blend in with the reeds found along the water’s edge. It feeds mainly on the insects that inhabit these swampy areas.
This bird is typically around nine or ten inches (22.86 to 25.4 cm) long. It usually has a fairly short tail and wings. The chest of a water rail normally appears somewhat flat. The feathers of this animal is usually longer on its back and wings than on its chest and head.
A water rail may be solid black, gray, or brown in color. It may also be any combination of these. Often the bird is darker along the back and wings than on the rest of its body. Baby birds are almost always solid black until they shed their downy feathers for their adult ones.
It is not uncommon to find a water rail wading in the shallow water near the edge of a pond or swamp. It typically has very long legs and lengthy, widely-spaced toes that help it to maneuver these areas. Although it is not known to swim, the bird may sometimes dip its head or long, slender beak under the water’s surface in an effort to catch insects to eat.
Although insects are the primary food of a Rallus aquaticus, it may also eat small rodents or birds. This bird may also dine on the berries of shrubs in the woods surrounding its habitat. Sometimes, it consumes the seeds of flowers or small trees.
The European water rail often does not migrate during the winter months. This is especially true of those that live in the southern or western countries of this continent. Birds from Asia often fly to these areas during the winter months, but return to their own continent when spring arrives.
The water rail has been listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means the species’ numbers are not threatened, or almost endangered, much less near extinction. This might be due, in part, to the fact that the bird can usually adapt well to changes in its environment. People who live near a wetland area may enjoy looking for and watching this quiet and gentle species.