Bird Guide

Grey-cowled Wood Rail vs Slaty-breasted 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
Slaty-breasted Wood Rail (Aramides saracura)

Slaty-breasted Wood Rail

Aramides saracura

Large540 gForest

The slaty-breasted wood rail is 34 to 37 cm (13 to 15 in) long; one male weighed 540 g (19 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults have a green bill with a bluish base, a red eye, and reddish- to yellowish brown legs and feet. Most of their head and their throat, breast, and belly are slate gray. Their nape and shoulders are chestnut, their back olive, and their tail black. Immatures and juveniles have not been described. Voice: The slaty-breasted rail mostly calls during the day. It makes a "ariety of loud, resounding, noisy cries, including 'po-quit kwaa kwaa kwaa', 'po-peek' and 'po-pereek'", often for many minutes and usually in a duet. Another vocalization is "an irritated, rapidly repeated series of 'quir' notes".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Adrian198cm · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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