The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Sora \So"ra\, n. (Zool.)
A North American rail (Porzana Carolina) common in the
Eastern United States. Its back is golden brown, varied with
black and white, the front of the head and throat black, the
breast and sides of the head and neck slate-colored. Called
also American rail, Carolina rail, Carolina crake,
common rail, sora rail, soree, meadow chicken, and
orto.
[1913 Webster]
King sora, the Florida gallinule.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Ortolan \Or"to*lan\, n. [F., fr. It. ortolano ortolan, gardener,
fr. L. hortulanus gardener, fr. hortulus, dim. of hortus
garden. So called because it frequents the hedges of gardens.
See Yard an inclosure, and cf. Hortulan.] (Zool.)
(a) A European singing bird (Emberiza hortulana), about the
size of the lark, with black wings. It is esteemed
delicious food when fattened. Called also bunting.
(b) In England, the wheatear (Saxicola oenanthe).
(c) In America, the sora, or Carolina rail (Porzana
Carolina). See Sora.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Rail \Rail\, n. [F. r[^a]le, fr. r[^a]ler to have a rattling in
the throat; of German origin, and akin to E. rattle. See
Rattle, v.] (Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family
Rallidae, especially those of the genus Rallus, and of
closely allied genera. They are prized as game birds.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The common European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is
called also bilcock, skitty coot, and brook
runner. The best known American species are the
clapper rail, or salt-marsh hen (Rallus longirostris,
var. crepitans); the king, or red-breasted, rail
(Rallus elegans) (called also fresh-water
marshhen); the lesser clapper, or Virginia, rail
(Rallus Virginianus); and the Carolina, or sora, rail
(Porzana Carolina). See Sora.
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Land rail (Zool.), the corncrake.
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