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Art by Barry Kent MacKay

(Artwork - 248)
Sora (Porzana carolina)

The Sora is a member of the rail family also known as the sora rail and, more in the past than now, the Carolina crake. “Crake” is a term more often used in English speaking countries outside of North America for rails of similar size and shape. The rail family overall contains species with such names as coots, moorhens, swamphens, and gallinules. It’s thought that “sora” was derived from an Indigenous name for the species. They are small, weighing between about fifty to a little over a hundred grams – up to about four ounces. Technically they are game birds but because of their small size and elusive nature I doubt that many are actually hunted, or even known to hunters.

They are marsh birds, and since they are quite vocal but tend to hide within reeds, rushes, or cattails, they are more often heard than seen. But, they like edge conditions and as I have shown in the painting, they will sometimes quite boldly come out into the open. During migration, as is true of several other marsh bird species, they may occur away from water, or in other wetlands.

They have been reported in every Canadian province and territory and in all contiguous U.S. states, including Alaska, and migrate south through the Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico region, the southern U.S., and Mexico and Central America as far as northern South America – a huge range for such a seldom seen and relatively little-known species. The odd one shows up overseas, specifically western Europe. There are no subspecies or geographic variations.

They feed on both small invertebrates, and some vegetable matter, such as small seeds. They lay from 7 or 8 eggs to as many as 16. Both sexes incubate the eggs and babies start foraging at one day of age.

My painting is in oils on birch and is 12 by 9 inches, the birds approximately life size.

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