Brent Parsons Jr., age 9, of Pittsfield, Mass., for his question:

WHERE DOES THE RAIL BIRD LIVE?

Rail is the common name of a family of marsh birds that you'll find living throughout most of the world. The birds live in grassy marshes.

The family includes rails proper, the gailinules and the coots and mud hens. They run swiftly over the mud, seeking worms, insects, snails, floating seeds and plant sprouts to eat. The king rail, yellow rail, black rail, clapper rail, Virginia rail and sora rail are all found in America. The clapper rail is hunted in the southern states.

Rails vary in length from five to 19 inches. They have long, narrow bodies, short wings and tails, long legs and toes, and loose plumage of mixed black, brown and gray feathers.

The rails body shape helps them to slip through the reeds and grasses. The expression "thin as a rail" is said to come from the bird's appearance.

Rails migrate long distances but are seldom seen in flight except when chased from cover. They build their nests of grasses on the ground and lay from six to 15 tan white eggs.