ID help please

My wife rescued this bird from feral cats in our backyard. It first glance I thought it was a starling from its beak and size and short tail, but it has very large feet and long greenish-grey legs, proportioned like a gallinule.

EDIT: location= Fort Myers, FL

Could it be a Sora? Certainly not found in its preferred habitat.

It is indeed a Sora, Buck. Looks like a juvenile just moving into adult, non-breeding plumage. Still has a bit of the juvie dull buffy color on its chest.

I've never seen a Sora before, or any other rail. We live in a fully developed urban area with no wetlands nearby. I can't imagine how it came to be in our yard. The crazy cat lady next door feeds about a dozen feral cats that are the bane of small wildlife.

Probably moving through in fall migration, Buck. Soras are pretty common in Florida.

My wife took it to C.R.O.W. on Sanibel. They said it only had a couple of small punctures and was expected to be okay. They said they never used to see soras but have seen a few recently. I've never seen one before. Field guide range map shows them as winter residents in Florida..

A little late, but yes Sora. I've seen plenty at Wakodahatchee and Green Cay wetlands in Palm Beach County