The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a shy skulker of dense reed beds, more often heard than seen. Its laterally flattened, slender body lets it slip easily between reed stems, and brown, black-streaked upperparts contrast with a slate-grey face, neck and breast; the flanks are barred black and white, and the short, often cocked tail shows a pale, creamy-white underside. Its fully diagnostic feature is a long, slender, slightly downcurved bill, red with a darker top — unlike any other marsh-dwelling rail in Sweden. It measures 23–28 cm, has a wingspan of roughly 38–45 cm, and weighs 90–190 grams.
Voice is the most reliable way to find this species: a shrill, pig-like, rising squeal often rendered as a whining "krriii," along with a rhythmic, knocking "kipp-kipp-kipp" heard especially at night, both best detected at dusk, dawn or after dark. The nest is a shallow, bowl-shaped structure of reed and grass, well hidden just above the waterline in dense reed beds and swampy vegetation, where the female lays 6–11 eggs incubated by both parents; the black, downy chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to follow and be fed by their parents. An omnivore, the Water Rail feeds on insects, crustaceans, snails, worms, small amphibians and fish as well as seeds and green plant matter, occasionally taking weakened small birds in winter. It breeds across southern and central Sweden, growing scarcer further north, with a Swedish population in the low thousands of pairs; the species is Near Threatened on Sweden's Red List, chiefly due to wetland drainage, and while mostly a short-distance migrant, some birds overwinter in the south wherever open water persists.
Read about this species in Swedish →