Rail

Rail, family of marsh birds, including gallinules, coots or mud hens, and rails proper. Protected by their camouflage coloring, rails eat seeds, grasses, worms, and insects. These extremely slender birds are often classified by their long or cone-shaped short bills. They lay their eggs in nests built on the ground or among grass in or near a marsh. Types of rails, found throughout the world, include the water rail, land rail (corncrake), king rail, black rail, yellow rail, VIrginia rail, sora rail, and clapper rail.