Bird
Sora
Porzana carolina
A winter visitor to Louisiana, found in all 64 parishes and 8 habitats.
- Here
- Winter and on migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 64 parishes
- Habitats
- 8

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- Winter and on migration
- Nesting
- Not known to nest here
- Range
- All 64 parishes
- Habitats
- 8
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Louisiana 8
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.
Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)
Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.
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.
Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.
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 (94)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Louisiana. Those recorded in Louisiana first, the rest by region.
Elsewhere in the South (27)
- 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.
- 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.
- South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Summer and winter.
- Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Summer and winter, beside its main habitat.
- Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter, beside its main habitat.
- Texas Saline 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 (18)
- 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.
- 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 - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and 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 Louisiana
- Migratory: does not nest here, in 39 of 64 parishes.
- Winter: does not nest here, in 38 of 64 parishes.
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 255
- 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
- Delta BulrushSchoenoplectus deltarum
- California BulrushSchoenoplectus californicus
- Canby's BulrushSchoenoplectus etuberculatus
- Common Three Square BulrushSchoenoplectus pungens
- Olney's ThreesquareSchoenoplectus americanus
- Softstem BulrushSchoenoplectus tabernaemontani
- Arkansas sedgeCarex arkansana
- Hammock SedgeCarex fissa var. aristata
- Little Tooth SedgeCarex microdonta
- Ozark SedgeCarex ozarkana
- Painted SedgeCarex picta
- Southern Dark Green SedgeCarex venusta var. minor
- Tissue SedgeCarex hyalina
- Bent SedgeCarex styloflexa
Plant genera in its diet records (23)
- Persicaria Seeds. 12 diet records. 10 native plants in Louisiana
- Schoenoplectus Seeds. 12 diet records. 6 native plants in Louisiana
- Carex Seeds. 9 diet records. 84 native plants in Louisiana
- Echinochloa Seeds. 8 diet records. 3 native plants in Louisiana
- Polygonum Seeds. 7 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Setaria Seeds. 7 diet records. 3 native plants in Louisiana
- Bolboschoenus Seeds. 5 diet records. 1 native plant in Louisiana
- Lemna Leaves. 5 diet records. 6 native plants in Louisiana
- Bidens Seeds. 4 diet records. 8 native plants in Louisiana
- Digitaria Seeds. 4 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Eleocharis Seeds. 4 diet records. 35 native plants in Louisiana
- Leersia Seeds. 4 diet records. 4 native plants in Louisiana
- Panicum Seeds. 4 diet records. 12 native plants in Louisiana
- Scirpus 3 diet records. 5 native plants in Louisiana
- Zizania Seeds. 3 diet records. 2 native plants in Louisiana
- Cenchrus 2 diet records. 4 native plants in Louisiana
- Cinna 2 diet records. 1 native plant in Louisiana
- Cyperus 2 diet records. 32 native plants in Louisiana
- Ludwigia Seeds. 2 diet records. 15 native plants in Louisiana
- Oryza 2 diet records. 0 native plants in Louisiana
- Paspalum 2 diet records. 13 native plants in Louisiana
- Potamogeton Leaves. 2 diet records. 7 native plants in Louisiana
- Urochloa 2 diet records. 0 native plants in Louisiana
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in Louisiana, 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 169
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Black-chinned HummingbirdArchilochus alexandri
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
Plants 20
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Purple SpikerushEleocharis atropurpurea
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- BagpodGlottidium vesicarium
- Tropical FlatsedgeCyperus surinamensis
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Shortbeak BeaksedgeRhynchospora nitens
- Southern Marsh YellowcressRorippa teres
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
- Ditch FimbryFimbristylis schoenoides
Coastal dunes and beaches
Birds 128
- Black-throated Green WarblerDendroica virens
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoa
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseus
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Red KnotCalidris canutus
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
Plants 84
- Beach Morning-gloryIpomoea imperati
- Southern Seaside SpurgeEuphorbia bombensis
- Mound-lily YuccaYucca gloriosa
- Northern Seabeach OrachAtriplex mucronata
- Dune Marsh-elderIva imbricata
- Pinewoods FingergrassEustachys petraea
- Sea OatsUniola paniculata
- Beach Evening-primroseOenothera drummondii
- Saltwater False-willowBaccharis angustifolia
- Gulf CrotonCroton punctatus
- CamphorweedHeterotheca subaxillaris
- Cottony Golden-asterChrysopsis gossypina
Coastal Plain seepage bogs
Birds 59
- King RailRallus elegans
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Le Conte's SparrowAmmodramus leconteii
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Blue-winged TealAnas discors
Plants 43
- Shortleaf SneezeweedHelenium brevifolium
- Coastal Plain BeaksedgeRhynchospora stenophylla
- Slender-fruit BeaksedgeRhynchospora leptocarpa
- Variableleaf SunflowerHelianthus heterophyllus
- LeConte's ThistleCirsium lecontei
- White-bracted ThoroughwortEupatorium leucolepis
- Savanna TickseedCoreopsis linifolia
- Pinebarren SedgeCarex turgescens
- Pine LilyLilium catesbaei
- Fringed BeaksedgeRhynchospora ciliaris
- Large BeaksedgeRhynchospora macra
- Baldwin's Yellow-eyed-grassXyris baldwiniana
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
































































