diet includes seeds, insects, crustaceans and mollusks. The black rail forages by feeding along the water lines after high and low tide. Threats Under the IUCN Red List, the black rail is listed as endangered with decreasing populations. The IUCN estimates there are between 28,000 and 92,000 mature individuals remaining. The largest threats to the Black Rail are habitat destruction and severe weather events. The wetland habitat that the black rail depends on has steadily declined through the last several decades, due to draining for development and conversion to agricultural land. In addition to declining populations and increasing threats, the black rail is also impacted by the lack of scientific studies available. Because of the secretive and hard to observe nature of the bird, there is very little known about them to help prevent population decline. They are preyed upon by many avian (hawks, egrets, and herons) and mammalian (foxes and cats) predators, and rely on the cover of thick marsh vegetation for protection. High tides are a dangerous time for black rails, as they are quite vulnerable to predation outside the marsh. References External links Black Rails on the Audubon watch list Back Rails in Chile Black Rails in inland marshes Black Rail Bird Sound Black Rail Video black rail Birds of the Americas Native birds of the Western United States Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Native birds of the Southeastern United States Birds of the Caribbean Birds of Mexico Birds of Belize Birds of Costa Rica Birds of Hispaniola Birds of the Dominican Republic Birds of Chile Birds of Peru black rail black rail