Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Sora (Porzana carolina)

Abundance: Very Uncommon; at least 35 Regional records in 12 counties, 3 in Kentucky and 9 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the population migrating through the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Transient during spring (22 records, one of which falls in early June) and fall (12 records); Visitor during summer (2 records, one of which probably pertains to a late migrant); specimens.

Regional High Count: 2 (several records below).

Information on Records: 

12 and/or 13 May 1951 (1) Overton County, Tennessee (unknown TOS observers; Anonymous 1951).

13 April 1966 (1—specimen) Putnam County, Tennessee (Biology Department bird collection, Tennessee Technological University), presumably obtained in that county.

7 or 8 May 1966 (1) Cumberland County, Tennessee (TOS members; Anonymous 1966a), a Spring Bird Count sighting.

8 September 1976 (1—roadkill) Pickett County, Tennessee (observer[s] unspecified; Nicholson 1981).

3 & 16 April 1980 (1) Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1980c).

12 April 1983 (1) Somerset Reservoir, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [JBE notes]).

16 & 25 April 1987 (1) Somerset Reservoir, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1987c).

1–2, 7–9, & 26–27 May 1989 (1—heard only) City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

23 September 1990 (1—roadkill) Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 1993), specimen to Biology Department at Tennessee Tech University.

16/17 October 1990 (1—tower kill) WGRB tower 6.5 km north of Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Elmore and Palmer-Ball 1991).

10 October 1992 (1—seen) pond east of Rt. 111 about 1 km south of I-40, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

8–27 September 1999 (1–2) Twin Lakes, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2000a).

12/18 September 1999 (1/1) Warren County, Tennessee (N. P. "Mac" McWhirter; Fekel 2000/Susan N. McWhirter).

26 April 2002 (1) Pumphouse Pond, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2002c).

16 May 2003 (1—seen) Hackworth Farm on Rt. 62, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman). 

19 September 2003 (1—seen) Toad Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Eddie Fuson fide Judy C. Fuson).

5 May 2004 (1—seen) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman).

13 May 2004 (1) Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

25 September 2004 (1—seen and heard) Heritage Marsh, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs).

6 November 2004 (1—seen and heard) Heritage Marsh, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs).

8/19 April/7 May 2005 (2—1 seen and 1 heard only/1—heard only/1—seen) Heritage Marsh, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs/Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs/Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs, Joseph Mast), includes a Spring Bird Count record.

30 April 2005 (2—seen and heard) Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, Van Buren County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs, Edmund K. LeGrand).

3 May 2005 (1—seen) Ano strip mines, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

5 June 2005 (1—seen) Stop 29, Oliver Springs BBS, near Wartburg, Morgan County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Breeding Bird Survey record.

21 May 2006 (1) east of Mayland, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Joseph E. Mast).

4 May 2007 (1—heard) Pumphrey Farm, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton, C. Gay Hodges).

15 September 2007 (1—road-killed) Mason Grissom Rd., Warren County, Tennessee (N. P. "Mac" McWhirter, Susan N. McWhirter; Hoff 2008a).

8 October 2007 (1) Dry Creek Unit, Barren River Reservoir Wildlife Management Area, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

10 May 2008 (2) Burks Farm, eastern Putnam County, Tennessee (Joseph E. Mast et al.), a Spring Bird Count record.

17 May 2008 (1—calling in response to recorded call) c. 5 km southwest of Sparta, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

1 October 2008 (1—sick or injured adult) Phifer Mt. Rd. area, Putnam County, Tennessee (fide Timothy R. Riddle; photos obtained by unnamed observer).

16 April 2009 (1—calling in response to recorded call) Judge Austin Rd., White County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs).

2 May 2009 (1—calling unsolicited) Rhea Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

10 April 2011 (1—calling in response to recorded call) Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, Van Buren County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Edmund K. LeGrand).

Out-of-Season (Summer) Records: 

25 June–22 July 1963 (1) 6 km southwest of Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky (Marquita Gillenwater; Gillenwater 1964; Wilson 1969; Palmer-Ball 2003).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Spring: 3 April 1980 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1980c)–5 June 2005 (near Wartburg, Morgan County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman).

    Fall: 8 September 1976 (Pickett County, Tennessee; observers unspecified; Nicholson 1981) and 8 September 1999 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2000a)–6 November 2004 (White County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs).

Breeding: The summer record (see also Out-of-Season Records [above]) suggests the possibility of breeding but remains the only Regional evidence to that effect.

Habitat: Wettish, overgrown fields; wetlands of a wide variety; sometimes other, atypical, sites (e.g., hedgerows, roadside ditches, etc.) during migration.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: Quite secretive and often overlooked, so probably more common than the abundance classification provided above indicates.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited