The coots, moorhens, crakes, and rails of the Railidae family generally occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are omnivores. Most nest in dense vegetation. Most species walk and run vigorously on strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. A few coots and gallinules have a "frontal shield", which is a fleshy rearward extension of the upper bill. The flight of those Rallidae able to fly, while not very powerful, can be sustained for long periods of time and many species undertake annual migrations. [abstracted from Wikipedia]


Genus Fulica

Coot aka Eurasian Coot Fulica atra   Found: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - England


Coot, American   Fulica americana   Found: The Americas
Photographed by: 1)  Mike Baird - Cloisters City
    2) Alan D Wilson - Oregon   3, 4, 5) Dick Daniels - North Carolina



Coot, Red-fronted   Fulica rufifrons  Found: South America
Photographed by:  Claudio Timm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 


Coot, Red-gartered  Fulica armillata  Found: South America
Photographed by: Lip Kee Yap - Argentina


Coot, Red-knobbed Fulica cristata   Found: southern Europe, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - World of Birds - Cape Town, South Africa  2) Dick near Johannesburg, South Africa


Coot, White-winged  Fulica leucoptera  Found: southern South America
Photographed by: 1) Dario Niz in Uruguay 2) Shanthanu Bhardwaj - Buenos Aires, Argentina 
   3, 4) Claudio Timm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil



Genus Gallinula

Gallinule, Spot-flanked  Gallinula melanops  Found: South America
Photographed by: 1) Cláudio Timm - Brazil    2) Joshua Stone - the National Botanical Gardens - Vina del Mar, Chile
2) Juvenile


Moorhen, Common Gallinula chloropus   Found: The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - North Carolina  2) Dick - England    3, 6) Dick - the Galapagos 
    5, 8) Dick - Birds of Eden, South Africa  4) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden  7) Dick - Jamaica
8) Juvenile identified by Charlie Westeinen
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Moorhen, Dusky   Gallinula tenebrosa    Found: Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia
Photographed by:  1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Australia  4) Arthur Chapman


Native-hen, Tasmanian Gallinula mortierii   Found: Tasmania
Photographed by:  1, 3) JJ Harrison - Tasmania, Australia  2) Arthur Chapman Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia



Genus Porphyrio

Gallinule, Purple aka American Purple Gallinule  Porphyrula martinica   Found: The Americas
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - World of Birds, an aviary in South Africa


Swamphen, Purple  aka Pukeko Porphyrio porphyrio   Found: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, introduced - Florida
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Australia  3) JJ Harrison - Australia



Genus Amaurornis

Crake, Black Amaurornis flavirostra   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Arno Meintjes   3) Lip Kee Yap 4) Pascal Charbonneau - South Africa

Waterhen, White-breasted  Amaurornis phoenicurus  Found: Asia
Drawn / Photographed by: 1) John Gould   2) Charles Lam   3) Bhardwaj Shanthanu - India 
    4) Darren Bellerby - Hong Kong Wetland Park, Hong Kong



Genus Aramides

Rail, Giant Wood  Aramides ypecaha  Found: South America
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - World of Birds, South Africa  3) Sandy Cole - World of Birds 
    4) Cludio Timm  - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil


Rail, Slaty-breasted Wood  Aramides saracura   Found: South America
Photographed by: 1) Adrian198cm- Curitiba, Brazil  2, 3) Dario Sanches - Brazil



Genus Pardirallus

Rail, Plumbeous  Pardirallus sanguinolentus  Found: South America
Photographed by:  1, 2, 3) Cláudio Timm - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Genus Porzana

Crake, Australian Porzana fluminea  Found: Australia
Photographed by: 1) Oystercatcher  2) Tony Morris


Crake, Ruddy-breasted  Porzana fusca   Found: Asia 
Photographed by: 1, 2) Hiyashi Haka


Crake, Spotless  Porzana tabuensis  Found: Australasia
Photgraphed by: 1) Oystercatcher  2) Aviceda


Crake, White-browed  Porzana cinerea  Found: Australia, Asia 
Photographed by  1) JJ Harrison - Thailand  2) P Henne



Sora Porzana carolina   Found: The Americas
Photographed by: 1)) Elaine R Wilson - the Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas  2) Mike Baird
   3) Charlie Westerinen - Malheur National Widelife Reserve in Oregon
3) Juvenile



Genus Gallirallus

Rail, Buff-banded Gallirallus philippensis   Found: Australasia
Photographed by:  1) Dick Daniels: - Kuranda Birdworld, Australia  2) Dick - Kiwi Birdlife Park, New Zealand  3) Oystercatcher


Weka aka Woodhen  Gallirallus australis   Found: New Zealand
Photographed by Arthur Chapman



Genus Rallus

Rail, Clapper  Rallus longirostris   Found: The Americas
Photographed by:  1)  Len Blumin   2) Alan D Wilson - Laguna Madre Nature Trail, South Padre Island    
    3) Dick Daniels - North Carolinad, Texas


Rail, Water  Rallus aquaticus  Found: Europe, Asia
Photographed by: Jan Svetlík

The Eurypygidae family only contains one species, the Sunbittern.  It as been placed in the Gruiformes order because of its similarity to rails, but this similarity is probably due to convergent evolution.

Genus Eurypyga - 1 species

Sunbittern  Eurypyga helias  Found: tropical Americas
Photographed by:  1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - North Carolina Zoo  4) Sandy Cole - North Carolina Zoo
    5, 6) Dick - Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo    7)  Cláudio Timm - the Amazon, Brazil