Virginia Rail

Taxidermy of a Virginia rail (*Rallus limicola*). Accession #: 145.10 The Virginia rail is an aquatic hunter, much like the typical sandpiper, that primarily lives in marshland and feeds on aquatic invertebrates like crabs and mollusks. Their feathers are very strong to protect them from damage as they push through the marsh vegetation. While it prefers to walk due to the utter strength of its leg muscles, the bird will occasionally swim across the water and doesn't fly very often. They also appear to be very intelligent, as they are known to make multiple fake nests with their real ones to trick unsuspecting predators. Captured with Artec Spider 3D Scanner https://www.artec3d.com/portable-3d-scanners/artec-spider-v2