Showing results for king rail. Search instead for hiking trail.

king rail

American

noun

a large, long-billed rail, Rallus elegans, of North America, having reddish-brown plumage.

Etymology

Origin of king rail

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He hauled the prize into the boat, and sure enough, it was a novelty,—a king rail, new to both of us.

From A Florida Sketch-Book by Torrey, Bradford

One bird study I handed her was of a brooding king rail, over a foot tall, with a three-foot wing sweep, and a long curved bill.

From Moths of the Limberlost by Stratton-Porter, Gene

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023