water rail
an Old World rail, Rallus aquaticus, having olive-brown plumage marked with black and a long, red bill.
Origin of water rail
1Words Nearby water rail
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How to use water rail in a sentence
Couch gives some facts of interest relating to the mode of escape practised by the water-rail, swan, and some other aquatic birds.
Animal Intelligence | George J. RomanesIt is astonishing what a small bit of marsh or bog will content a water rail, provided there is a sufficiency of cover.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires | Charles DixonI once turned out a dozen water-hens, a brown owl, a woodcock, and a water-rail from one little withe patch.
The Naturalist on the Thames | C. J. CornishThe water-rail, and corncrake or land-rail, are also allied to the Gallinules.
Bible Animals; | J. G. WoodA cause of deep regret, indeed,Had the door opened at the knocking of the water-rail!
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan | Various
British Dictionary definitions for water rail
a large Eurasian rail, Rallus aquaticus, of swamps, ponds, etc, having a long red bill
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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