tags: Sora, Sora Rail, Sora Crake, Porzana carolina, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Sora, also known as the Sora Rail or sometimes as the Sora Crake, Porzana carolina, photographed at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 27 April 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Can you tell me why this bird's tail is so short?
A short tail is reportedly found in birds that specialize in fast flight, such as loons, ducks, grebes and auks. Its small size presumably enhances the efficiency of flight. (Notice that many marine birds, such as albatross, also have reduced tail size). Maybury, W.J., and J.M.V. Rayner. 2001. The avian tail reduces body parasitic drag by controlling flow separation and vortex shedding. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 268:1405-1410; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1635 [free PDF]
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That's not a bird, it's some sort of a fish. The picture's upside-down. When turned 180°, we're clearly looking at a fish from below, up towards the surface of a pond.
I thought duck at first, but the tail is so short. And now I'm thinking rail of some sort? Rails seem chunky in the body in that way, and tend to have shorter tails. But Chaucer calls.
A long tail would keep this hen from hiding in the marsh.
I'd applaud this bird if it were long in the beak, but I think that instead, it's regal and elegant. (Not sure, I don't have a lot of experience identifying this family despite having grown up near the shore. They're too shy to rally to the occasion.)
Looks like a Sora to me! Gee, maybe a gator nipped at her rear? I have never even wondered why the tail is so short, but the above comment about hiding makes a lot of sense. Their specialty is to be invisible!