Bird
Sora
Porzana carolina
Passes through Arkansas on migration. Found in all 75 counties, across 5 habitats.
- Here
- On migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 75 counties
- Habitats
- 5

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- On migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 75 counties
- Habitats
- 5
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Arkansas 5
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Streams, rivers and their banks
Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.
Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (97)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Arkansas. Those recorded in Arkansas first, the rest by region.
Elsewhere in the South (29)
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal Wetland Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
- Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
- Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
- South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Winter.
- South Florida Mangrove Swamp Winter.
- South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Winter.
- Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Southern Coastal Plain Herbaceous Seepage Bog Winter.
- Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Winter, beside its main habitat.
Northeast (7)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Winter.
- Great Lakes Freshwater Estuary and Delta Summer.
- Laurentian-Acadian Freshwater Marsh Summer.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Heathland and Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
Midwest (11)
- Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Central Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Eastern Great Plains Tallgrass Aspen Parkland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Great Lakes Wet-Mesic Lakeplain Prairie Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Great Plains Prairie Pothole Summer and winter.
- Northern Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Summer.
- Northern Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Western Great Plains Open Freshwater Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Saline Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
West (31)
- California Central Valley and Southern Coastal Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- California Central Valley Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- California Mesic Serpentine Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- California Northern Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Columbia Basin Palouse Prairie Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Alkaline Closed Depression Summer and winter.
- Inter-Mountain Basins Interdunal Swale Wetland Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Serpentine Fen Summer and winter.
- Mediterranean California Subalpine-Montane Fen Summer and winter.
- North American Arid West Emergent Marsh Summer and winter.
- North American Warm Desert Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- North Pacific Bog and Fen Summer.
- North Pacific Intertidal Freshwater Wetland Summer.
- Northern California Claypan Vernal Pool Summer and winter.
- Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane, Foothill and Valley Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Northern Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Upper Montane Grassland Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Rocky Mountain Alpine-Montane Wet Meadow Summer.
- Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Fen Summer.
- Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Mesic Meadow Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Southern Rocky Mountain Montane-Subalpine Grassland Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Temperate Pacific Freshwater Emergent Marsh Summer and winter.
- Temperate Pacific Freshwater Mudflat Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Temperate Pacific Intertidal Mudflat Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Temperate Pacific Montane Wet Meadow Summer and winter.
- Temperate Pacific Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
- Western Great Plains Closed Depression Wetland Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Foothill and Piedmont Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Western Great Plains Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Willamette Valley Upland Prairie and Savanna Summer, beside its main habitat.
- Willamette Valley Wet Prairie Summer.
Land cover and other classes (19)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Winter, beside its main habitat.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
- Great Lakes Coastal Marsh Systems Summer.
- Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain Tidal Marsh Systems Winter.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Laurentian-Acadian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer.
- Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- South Texas Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
Seasons in Arkansas
- Migratory: does not nest here, in all 75 counties.
Food plants
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.
Native plants in these genera 290
- Denseflower KnotweedPersicaria glabra
- Pink SmartweedPersicaria bicornis
- Pale SmartweedPersicaria lapathifolia
- Swamp SmartweedPersicaria hydropiperoides
- Arrowleaf TearthumbPersicaria sagittata
- Bog SmartweedPersicaria setacea
- Dense-flower SmartweedPersicaria densiflora
- Dotted SmartweedPersicaria punctata
- JumpseedPersicaria virginiana
- Pennsylvania SmartweedPersicaria pensylvanica
- Water SmartweedPersicaria amphibia
- California BulrushSchoenoplectus californicus
- Common Three Square BulrushSchoenoplectus pungens
- Hardstem BulrushSchoenoplectus acutus
- Olney's ThreesquareSchoenoplectus americanus
- Softstem BulrushSchoenoplectus tabernaemontani
- Arkansas sedgeCarex arkansana
- Bicknell's SedgeCarex bicknellii
- Bottlebrush SedgeCarex hystericina
- Carex atlantica subsp. atlanticaCarex atlantica subsp. atlantica
- Carex atlantica subsp. capillaceaCarex atlantica subsp. capillacea
- Carex bromoides subsp. bromoidesCarex bromoides subsp. bromoides
- Carex communis var. communisCarex communis var. communis
- Carex scoparia var. scopariaCarex scoparia var. scoparia
Plant genera in its diet records (23)
- Persicaria Seeds. 12 diet records. 11 native plants in Arkansas
- Schoenoplectus Seeds. 12 diet records. 5 native plants in Arkansas
- Carex Seeds. 9 diet records. 144 native plants in Arkansas
- Echinochloa Seeds. 8 diet records. 2 native plants in Arkansas
- Polygonum Seeds. 7 diet records. 5 native plants in Arkansas
- Setaria Seeds. 7 diet records. 2 native plants in Arkansas
- Bolboschoenus Seeds. 5 diet records. 1 native plant in Arkansas
- Lemna Leaves. 5 diet records. 7 native plants in Arkansas
- Bidens Seeds. 4 diet records. 7 native plants in Arkansas
- Digitaria Seeds. 4 diet records. 2 native plants in Arkansas
- Eleocharis Seeds. 4 diet records. 21 native plants in Arkansas
- Leersia Seeds. 4 diet records. 4 native plants in Arkansas
- Panicum Seeds. 4 diet records. 12 native plants in Arkansas
- Scirpus 3 diet records. 6 native plants in Arkansas
- Zizania Seeds. 3 diet records. 1 native plant in Arkansas
- Cenchrus 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Arkansas
- Cinna 2 diet records. 1 native plant in Arkansas
- Cyperus 2 diet records. 25 native plants in Arkansas
- Ludwigia Seeds. 2 diet records. 10 native plants in Arkansas
- Oryza 2 diet records. 0 native plants in Arkansas
- Paspalum 2 diet records. 12 native plants in Arkansas
- Potamogeton Leaves. 2 diet records. 10 native plants in Arkansas
- Urochloa 2 diet records. 0 native plants in Arkansas
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in Arkansas, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Birds 121
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed SparrowAmmodramus nelsoni
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- King RailRallus elegans
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
Plants 17
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- BagpodGlottidium vesicarium
- Oklahoma SedgeCarex oklahomensis
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Heart Leaf WillowSalix eriocephala
- Southern Marsh YellowcressRorippa teres
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
- White WillowSalix alba
- Zigzag JointvetchAeschynomene rudis
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Birds 97
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Neotropic CormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Northern ParulaParula americana
Plants 313
- Elliott's BlueberryVaccinium elliottii
- Possumhaw HollyIlex decidua
- Cherrybark OakQuercus pagoda
- Swamp Chestnut OakQuercus michauxii
- Canada VioletViola canadensis
- Appalachian Orange ConeflowerRudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa
- Shagbark HickoryCarya ovata
- Camphor PlucheaPluchea camphorata
- PondberryLindera melissifolia
- Smooth Hedge-nettleStachys tenuifolia
- Wolf's BluegrassPoa wolfii
- Spreading SedgeCarex laxiculmis
Streams, rivers and their banks
Birds 69
- Evening GrosbeakCoccothraustes vespertinus
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Blue-winged WarblerVermivora pinus
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysoptera
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
Plants 199
- Primrose-leaf VioletViola primulifolia
- Twisted SedgeCarex torta
- Ozark Tassel-rueTrautvetteria applanata
- Coastal Plain WillowSalix caroliniana
- Grass-leaved Flat-top GoldenrodEuthamia graminifolia
- Bluff OakQuercus austrina
- Black MapleAcer nigrum
- YankeeweedEupatorium compositifolium
- Red GrapeVitis palmata
- Bracted VervainVerbena bracteata
- River BirchBetula nigra
- Southern Marsh St. John's-wortTriadenum tubulosum
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Sora
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus


































































