Even in the quietest parts of winter, our local chalk streams hum with activity. As coots and moorhens glide across the surface, one of their relatives may be hiding in plain sight. At around 23-28cm long, the water rail is smaller than these more outgoing members of the Rallidae family, but just as fond of damp places. Ponds, marshes, reedbeds, wetlands, and rivers can all be homes for this enigmatic bird.

One reason for the water rail’s wide variety of habitats is its omnivorous diet. Although it mostly eats fish, snails, and insects, it will also snack on roots, seeds, and berries. There are even reports of water rails catching small amphibians, mammals, and birds. With its long legs, long toes, and long beak, this species is perfectly adapted for hunting and foraging on boggy ground or in shallow water.

Pictured below from left to right (click to expand): Water rail with juvenile colouring / Water rail with adult colouring.

The water rail sports distinctive colouration that makes it fairly easy to identify. Its face and underside are grey, while its back is dappled brown and black. Zebra-like stripes along its flanks lead into bright white feathers under its tail, and both its eyes and beak are a striking red. If you spot one walking around in the open, you might see its pinkish-brown legs and feet, which look a bit like those of a chicken.

As a chick, the water rail is black all over like a baby coot or moorhen; the trick is to look for a pale yellow beak instead of a red-and-yellow one. By the time it becomes a juvenile - between infancy and adulthood - the water rail has mostly adopted its final colouring. Two key differences are that its face and underside are brown rather than grey, while its eyes and beak are more brown than red.

Pictured below from left to right (click to expand): The water rail's slim build can best be seen from the front / The water rail can easily move through reedbeds.

Despite having snazzy plumage and being relatively widespread, the water rail is notoriously elusive. In addition to its impressive camouflage, this bird has a surprisingly slim body. This makes it excellent at sneaking through the undergrowth and blending in with tall reeds and grasses. Its skittishness also means that it usually runs for cover when startled by would-be bird spotters.

The odds of a sighting do increase during winter, when the UK population is boosted by visitors from the colder parts of Europe. True to their cautious nature, these migrating birds usually travel at night - you're unlikely to see a water rail flying during the day. It's hard to know exactly how many are resident, due to their secretive behaviour, but estimates range from around 1,000 to 4,000.

While you need sharp eyes and good luck to see a water rail, you may have a better chance of hearing one. Of their greatest hits – which include creaks, whistles, groans, and even purrs – their most common call in wintertime is known as “sharming”. Used to converse, mark territory, or express alarm, this call is a mixture of grunting and squealing that would make a piglet proud!

Since the water rail is so shy, it needs riverbanks that have lots of lush plant life. If we want to welcome these beautiful birds, we need to allow a thick fringe of vegetation to flourish along the water’s edge. We also need to keep our chalk streams in a healthy condition, so that there is plenty of food for water rails to eat. To learn how we're doing this, check out the Watercress and Winterbournes scheme.

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