Walking through the marshes of North America, you might see a bright yellow bill poking out of the water. It might even remind you of candy corn. In that case, you may be encountering a Sora. This small discreet bird has a brown-and-gray body and unlike his peers, prefers walking to flying.

His daily routine is marching through wetlands while rapidly flicking its white tail. He looks for seeds, nurtures himself, and resides in a nest floating on shallow wetlands. If you want to catch a Sora in action, early in the morning or late in the evening is the best time to do so as they wander out of hiding to look for food. Given their chubby appearance, you may not count them as great flying birds, but they can fly hundreds of miles to reach Central and South America during migration season.

They usually spend April until July breeding and expanding their families. They’ve been very successful too and they’re considered the most widespread rail in North America. Predatory birds and some hungry mammals are considered Sora's natural enemies.

If you ever heard the names meadow chicken, Carolina rail, ortolan, and soree, they’re referring to Sora.