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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: rail
Rail, common name for some members of the large family Rallidae, marsh and tropical forest birds that include the gallinule and the coot, two specialized rails. Rails are cosmopolitan in distribution, except in polar regions. Although migratory, they have small wings and are weak fliers, escaping danger by concealment rather than flight. They are protectively colored in drab browns and reds and have extremely slender bodies (whence the expression thin as a rail) and strong legs, enabling them to dart through thick marsh vegetation undetected. Rails, also called mud hens or marsh hens, are omnivorous, hunting their food at nightfall. They may be divided into two major types: the long-billed rails, which include the Virginia (Rallus limicola), king, clapper, and water rails; and those with short, conical bills, including the sora (Porzana carolina), yellow, and black rails (called crakes in Europe.) Gallinules are rails that have webbed toes; they are more aquatic and less timid than those members of the family specifically called rails. They have bright forehead shields and are widespread in temperate and tropical regions. The common American gallinule, Gallinula chloropus, and the similar Eurasian moorhen are drab in color; the gaudier purple gallinule, Porphyrula martinica, found from Texas to Ecuador, has blue-green plumage and yellow legs. Fifteen species of extinct flightless rails are known, and a number of flightless rails and gallinules still exist. The rails are all considered good game birds and are perhaps the most widely distributed of all the avian families. Rails are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Gruiformes, family Rallidae.

The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia search results for: Approach lighting system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An approach lighting system (redirected from rail), or ALS, is a lighting system installed on the approach end of an airport runway and consisting of a series of lightbars, strobe lights, or a combination of the two that extends outward from the runway end. ALS usually serves a runway that has an instrument approach procedure associated with it and allows the pilot to visually identify the runway environment and align the aircraft with the runway upon arriving at a prescribed point on an approach. The runway lighting is controlled by the air traffic control tower. At uncontrolled airports, Pilot Controlled Lighting may be installed which can be switched on by the pilot via...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: rail
Results 1 - 10  of 786
  • monorail

    Monorail, railway system that uses cars that run on a single rail. Typically the rail is run overhead and the cars are either suspended from it or run above it. Driving power is transmitted fr...

  • Moncton

    Moncton, city (1991 pop. 57,010), SE N.B., Canada, on the Petitcodiac River. Although its rail repair yards were closed in 1988, it is an air and rail transportation center and a road hub for ...

  • Semey

    Semey or Semipalatinsk, city (1993 est. pop. 342,000), capital of Semey region, NE Kazakhstan, on the Irtysh River and the Turkistan-Siberia RR. It is a river port, rail terminus, and commerci...

  • Kunming

    Kunming, city (1994 est. pop. 1,240,000), capital of Yunnan prov., S China, on the northern shore of Dian Chi Lake. It is a major administrative, commercial, and cultural center of S China and...

  • Cegléd

    Cegléd, city (1991 est. pop. 37,013), central Hungary. It is a road and rail hub and a trade center for agricultural products.

  • Genk

    Genk, city (1991 pop. 61,339), Limburg prov., NE Belgium. It is a commercial and industrial center, rail junction, and resort.

  • Karcag

    Karcag, city (1991 est. pop. 23,650), E Hungary. A road and rail junction, Karcag is an important communications point.

  • Balikesir

    Balikesir, city (1990 pop. 171,967), capital of Balikesir prov., NW Turkey. It is a rail junction and the center of a fertile agricultural region.

  • Almelo

    Almelo, city (1994 pop. 64,589), Overijssel prov., E Netherlands. It is an important rail junction and manufacturing center and has a large textile industry.

  • Holstebro

    Holstebro, city (1992 pop. 29,819), Ringkøbing co., W central Denmark, on the Storå River. It is a commercial and industrial center and a rail junction, producing foodstuffs, tobacco, and beer...

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