Sora an elusive year-round NM resident
Abundant member of the rail family likes habitats of heavily vegetated wetlands
Winter is an exciting time in New Mexico as we are host to a wide variety of bird species that spend the winter throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Most of us think of the large sandhill cranes and snow geese that mass in large numbers, which make them hard to miss. We do however have smaller, more secretive species that also call the Rio Grande Valley home. One of these is the sora.
I am guessing that most reading this column have never heard of or seen a sora, but this attractive, elusive bird not only winters in but is a year-round resident in parts of New Mexico.
On a recent trip to the Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex south of Albuquerque, I was fortunate enough to spot a small group of soras. The sora is in the rail family of birds. It is 8.75 inches in length with a brownish gray body and short tail that it often holds up exposing white underneath. The adult has a striking black face with a stubby bright yellow bill. The female and juvenile are less brightly colored. The sora is the most abundant rail in North America, but is not commonly seen. The expression “thin as a rail” comes from the bird’s ability to compress its body laterally, allowing it to quickly escape into thick reeds and grasses when threatened.
The sora prefers freshwater wetlands with dense vegetation. During migration the sora can also be found in brackish marshes, flooded farm fields and pastures. Because of the sora’s short wingspan of only 14 inches and quail-like body, it doesn’t look like it can fly long distances, but soras can fly hundreds of miles during spring and fall migration to wetlands in Central and South America. Soras forage for food by walking in shallow water and muddy edges using their long toes to rake the vegetation and beak to probe the waters surface.
Another rail that is a year-round resident in New Mexico is the Virginia rail. The Virginia rail is a bit larger at 9.5 inches in length and similar in body type. It has a rusty colored body, a short tail and gray face with a long narrow bill. Often found in similar habitat and just as elusive as the sora.
On your next trip to one of New Mexico’s many wildlife refuges along the Rio Grande Valley be sure to keep an eye out for these elusive rails.