Not often visible

  

It was very foggy this morning, so perhaps the conditions led to this road-killed bird that I encountered today (22 July 2024).  The reddish coloration caught my eye from a distance, and I realized it was a species you don't often get to see up close, so I thought I'd share a few photos.

Note the gray face, and the reddish slightly down-turned bill.

Here's the entire bird:

 

 

You can see the large feet and very short tail.  This is a Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), a secretive marsh bird, more often heard than seen.

Virginia Rails have striking barred black-and-white flanks:

 

 

So although this was an opportunity to learn about a local species that's not often visible but living close by in marshes and wetlands, this sighting serves as another reminder for drivers to slow down.