Sora

(Porzana carolina)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

Minnesota

not listed

 
Sora
Photo by Earl Bye
 
Description

Sora is the most common rail in North America. It is found throughout Canada in every province except Nunavut, and throughout the United States except in every state including Alaska and Hawaii. However, it is seldom seen because it rarely leaves dense vegetation except in the early morning or late evening.

 

Size

8 to 10 in length

14 wingspan

 

Voice

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

Mostly in marshes with catail, bullrush, bluejoint, or sedge; sometimes also in bogs, fens, wet meadows, and flooded fields.

Ecology

Migration

Mid-April to mid-May and mid-August to mid-October

 

Nesting

 

 

Food

Seeds, especially sedge and bulrush; duckweed and other plants; aquatic insects and molusks

Distribution

Occurrence

Common migrant and breeder

 

Maps

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Taxonomy

Order

Aves (birds)

Order

Gruiformes (cranes, rails, and allies)

Family

Rallidae (rails, crakes, gallinules, and coots)

Genus

Porzana (spotted crakes and allies)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Rallus carolinus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos
 

Share your photo of this bird.

 

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.

Luciearl

Here's a new one for me. My daughter while raking, had an unknown bird come out from the leaves. I looked it up and when I listened to its call, realized I had heard this bird at night for many years, not knowing what it was. I had never seen it before. It is a continuous screeching sound. There is a small wetland in the woods that is protected from nearby roads and humans in a wooded area. Sounds like a perfect habitat for a Sora.

 

Sora

Lynn Rubey

Sora

Sora... in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in the evening of May 13, 2019.

Earl Bye

Sora   Sora
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
   

 

   

 

 

Camera

Slideshows

 

 
 

 

slideshow

Visitor Videos
 

Share your video of this bird.

 

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.

Dan W. Andree

"Juvenile Sora"
Published on Mar 9, 2016

About

Published on Mar 9, 2016

I noticed this young Sora while out along a pond I usually look for a pair of Trumpeter Swans. Often hidden in the dense cattails though occasionally ventured out near open edges of the pond. A pair of swans were out on the pond and you can hear their sounds as well as some geese sounds in the video. The Sora was silent and just looking for food.

Other Videos

Sora
WIld Bird Videos by McElroy Productions

About

Published on May 29, 2011

Sora rails in a Maine marsh. © 2011 Garth McElroy

License at http://www.paya.com/videos/135192

Sora rail calling
tavovalero

About

Published on Sep 30, 2015

Recorded at Estero Llano Grande State Park Weslaco, Texas on 2015-09-21.

Porzana carolina,
Polluela Sora o polluela norteña,, (Spanish)

If you want to watch similar bird and other wildlife videos go to my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/tavovalero/videos

104 - Studying the Sora Rail
EstuaryLiveTV

About

Published on Oct 18, 2008

Have you heard the expression "skinny as a rail?" Learn where it originated and much more about this unusual bird, the Sora Rail.

Marsh Birds: Sora
Paul Dana

About

Published on Jul 20, 2012

Sora: This odd sounding bird was spotted in marshlands in Eastern Washington. It squeaks like a mouse and swims like a duck but has no webbed feet and has a beak instead of a bill. It's tail sticks straight up! The video sound picks up the calls from both the male and female although the female stayed well hidden. They migrate to South America in the winter.

Sora Rail
Dan Read

About

Published on Jan 17, 2015

Sora rail at Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this bird.

 

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.

Luciearl
5/4/2025

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Here's a new one for me.  My daughter while raking, had an unknown bird come out from the leaves. I looked it up and when I listened to its call, realized I had heard this bird at night for many years, not knowing what it was.  I had never seen it before. It is a continuous screeching sound.  There is a small wetland in the woods that is protected from nearby roads and humans in a wooded area. Sounds like a perfect habitat for a Sora.

Sora

Cory Carlson
Summer/Fall 2021

Location:  Grays Bay Dam Walkway, Minnetonka

 
Lynn Rubey
5/13/2019

Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge

Sora... in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in the evening of May 13, 2019.

Sora
Earl Bye
7/10/2017

Location: Maplewood Nature Center, Maplewood, MN

Sora
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created: 7/21/2017

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us