Rails, Crakes

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Duck-like Birds
Rails, Crakes

Species of Rails, Crakes

Species

Rails are large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, although the family is found in every terrestrial habitat except dry deserts, polar regions, and alpine areas above the snow line. Members of the Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica. Numerous island species are known. The most common rail habitats are marshland and dense forest. They are especially fond of dense vegetation