Listen to the Sora
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Sora
The Sora is a bird in the family Rallidae (order Gruiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 38 cm and weigh around 9 g.
What does the Sora sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as call, porzana carolina - sora and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The sora, sora rail or Carolina crake (Porzana carolina) is a small waterbird of the rail family Rallidae, sometimes also referred to as the sora rail or sora crake, that occurs throughout much of North America. The genus name Porzana is derived from Venetian terms for small rails, and the specific carolina refers to the Carolina Colony. The common name "Sora" is probably derived from a Native American language.
They migrate to the southern United States and northern South America. The sora is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, where it can be confused with spotted crake. However, the latter species always has spotting on the breast, a streaked crown stripe, and a different wing pattern.
Related birds in the genus Porzana
More from the family Rallidae
Eurasian coot
Fulica atra
Common moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
Corn crake
Crex crex
Water rail
Rallus aquaticus
Baillon's crake
Zapornia pusilla
Western swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
White-breasted waterhen
Amaurornis phoenicurus
Takahē
Porphyrio hochstetteri
American coot
Fulica americana
Weka
Gallirallus australis
Ruddy-breasted crake
Zapornia fusca
Frequently asked questions
What does a Sora sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the Sora on this page, including its call, porzana carolina - sora and song. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Sora endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Sora as “least concern”.
What family does the Sora belong to?
The Sora (Porzana carolina) belongs to the family Rallidae in the order Gruiformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, United States by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Minnesota Valley NWR, Old Cedar Ave Bridge, Hennepin… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Grindholmen, Kurefjorden, Råde kommune, Østfold, Norway by Bjørn Olav Tveit – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Porzana carolina - Sora by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Townville, Anderson County, South Carolina, United States by Tom Austin – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Porzana carolina - Sora by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q936740 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Sora (bird) – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Elaine R. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com – CC BY-SA 2.5