Rare bird spotted in El Paso County

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A rare bird has been spotted in El Paso County.

Yesterday, July 4th, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) sounded the alarm for bird lovers/watchers about an extremely rare Limpkin that was spotted at the Ramah State Wildlife Area in the northeast corner of El Paso County. The wildlife area is located along Highway 24 between Calahan and Limon.

Limpkins are long-legged, brown and white birds that resemble a giant rail. According to CPW, they are wetland birds whose range in the United States typically only includes Florida. They are not migratory but have occasionally been found far from their home range during times of severe drought.

The birds are well suited to swampy-woods habitats where they hunt snails with their long beaks. CPW says the Ramah area is wet and swampy again after being dry for years.