Virginia Rail
Virginia Rail has increased: up 26% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Virginia Rail
The Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) is a North American member of the Rails, Gallinules & Coots (Rallidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 6–19 in long (15–48 cm) — a marsh-dwelling waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 383 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 36 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Rallidae · Wetland birds
Notable Virginia Rail Trends
No notable trend signals for Virginia Rail. See the full index history below.
Virginia Rail Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Virginia Rail is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.02 (95% range 0.01–0.03). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±37.5%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2029 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
Where the Virginia Rail Is Detected
BBS routes recording Virginia Rail, sized by most recent count.
Virginia Rail Population Trend by State
| Arizona | +12% | 1998 | 4 |
| California | +64% | 1975 | 31 |
| Colorado | -73% | 1983 | 14 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Delaware | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Idaho | -55% | 1989 | 8 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kansas | -49% | 1976 | 6 |
| Maine | -83% | 1973 | 8 |
| Maryland | +51% | 1972 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Michigan | -63% | 1973 | 25 |
| Minnesota | -41% | 1970 | 35 |
| Montana | +47% | 1980 | 11 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Nevada | +1% | 1994 | 10 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Mexico | -26% | 1998 | 8 |
| New York | -32% | 1970 | 22 |
| North Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Dakota | +123% | 1970 | 33 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oklahoma | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oregon | -8% | 1975 | 22 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Dakota | -43% | 1973 | 18 |
| Utah | +11% | 1996 | 14 |
| Vermont | -64% | 1974 | 8 |
| Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Washington | -63% | 1987 | 27 |
| Wisconsin | -65% | 1970 | 33 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 8 |
Virginia Rail Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -47% | 1984 | 23 |
| Great Basin | +31% | 1974 | 54 |
| Northern Rockies | -56% | 1986 | 25 |
| Prairie Potholes | +36% | 1969 | 53 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -45% | 1971 | 31 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -30% | 1971 | 20 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -81% | 1973 | 19 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -77% | 1990 | 17 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -11% | 1979 | 18 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -30% | 1976 | 6 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -54% | 1970 | 52 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +103% | 1968 | 17 |
| Coastal California | -13% | 1992 | 10 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +24% | 1990 | 8 |
Virginia Rail Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 26% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.