• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Rallus elegans and R. tenuirostris (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as R. elegans following AOU (2000). Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993) included tenuirostris within R. longirostris.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2021	Near Threatened	A2cde
2016	Near Threatened	A2ce+3ce+4ce
2014	Near Threatened	A2ce+3ce+4ce
2012	Not Recognised
2008	Not Recognised
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	full migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	7,070,000 km2	medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding)	5,320,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	69000 mature individuals	medium	estimated	2020
Population trend	decreasing	-	inferred	-
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	20-29%	-	-	-
Generation length	3.6 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The population is estimated to number 69,000 mature individuals (Partners in Flight 2020).

Trend justification: The species is in decline owing mainly to the loss, fragmentation and degradation of wetland habitats (Cooper 2008; Pickens and Meanley 2020). Between 1970 and 2017, the species has been undergoing a large, significant decline (Partners in Flight 2020); nevertheless, declines seem to be slowing down considerably in recent decades (Meehan et al. 2018; Pardieck et al. 2018). The overall rate of decline over three generations (10.8 years; Bird et al. 2020) is difficult to quantify. Data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) suggest a rapid, though non-significant decline of up to 46% over the past three generations (Pardieck et al. 2018). However, caution is advised in using BBS data, as the methods and coverage of these surveys may not provide reliable data for the species (reviewed by Cooper 2008; see also Pickens and Meanley 2020). Audubon's Christmas Bird Count report only a slow decline of 5% over the past three generations, although likewise non-significant (Meehan et al. 2018). There is no information on the population trend in Mexico or Cuba.

Based on available information, the species is inferred to be in decline. To accommodate the considerable uncertainty around the trend rate, the decline is here considered to be moderately rapid and placed in the band 20-29% over the past three generations; this however requires confirmation.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Canada	extant	native		yes
Cuba	extant	native	yes
Mexico	extant	native	yes
Panama	possibly extant	native
USA	extant	native	yes	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Wetlands (inland)	Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	major	breeding
Wetlands (inland)	Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	major	non-breeding
Altitude	0 - 2500 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Species mortality
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Phalaris arundinacea	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Phragmites australis	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use - Abstraction of surface water (domestic use)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Residential & commercial development	Commercial & industrial areas	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Residential & commercial development	Housing & urban areas	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Transportation & service corridors	Roads & railroads	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: King Rail Rallus elegans. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/king-rail-rallus-elegans on 20/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 20/12/2024.