Bird Guide

Grey-cowled Wood Rail vs Russet-naped Wood Rail

Grey-cowled Wood Rail (Aramides cajaneus)

Grey-cowled Wood Rail

Aramides cajaneus

Large397 gForest

The grey-cowled wood rail usually measures 33–40 centimetres (13–16 in) long and weighs 320–465 grams (11.3–16.4 oz), particularly large for a wood rail. The upperparts are olive-green to dark brown. The head and neck are medium-grey, blending into a brown patch at the back of the head. The eyes are red. The chest and flanks are rufous. The belly, rump, and tail are black. The legs are coral-red, while the bill is a bright greenish-yellow. The males and females are similar. Juvenile birds are similar to the adult but are duller in colour, with their belly sooty-black and flecked with buff. Voice: The grey-cowled wood rail has a loud, repetitive cackling call mainly heard at dawn and dusk: pop-tiyi pop-tiyi co-co-co-co-co or chitico chitico cao-cao-cao. These songs are often sung in a chorus or duet. The alarm call is a harsh, loud cackle or clucking shriek. The chitico chitico cao-cao-cao call made by this rail is similar to the brown wood rail's kui-ko call.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Grey-cowled Wood Rail
Recorded by René Fernando Bilbao · Uncertain · Mar de Cobo, Mar Chiquita, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Johann Baptist von Spix (1781-1826) · Public domain
Russet-naped Wood Rail (Aramides albiventris)

Russet-naped Wood Rail

Aramides albiventris

Large514 gForest

The russet-naped wood rail is 33 to 40 cm (13 to 16 in) long and weighs about 450 to 600 g (16 to 21 oz). The sexes are alike and the subspecies are practically indistinguishable from each other. Adults have a thick dark yellow bill with a light green tip, a deep red eye, and red to pink legs and feet. Their forehead, crown, and hindneck are slate gray, and the back of the head has a chestnut patch. Their back is grayish olive and the tail black. Their chin and upper throat are white and the sides of the neck, lower throat, and upper breast are gray. Voice: The russet-naped wood rail's song has been described as "a varied, rapid, crazed-sounding, rollicking, popping, and clucking series". Three transcriptions are "coo-coocoo-coo' ki-ki-kik' cococo", "pop-tiyi pop-tiyi co-co-co-co-co", and "kook-kook-kook-kway!-kway!-kway!-kway!".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: caspar s · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Grey-cowled Wood Rail and Russet-naped Wood Rail.