- Laterallus jamaicensis
Includes: Junin Rail
Identification
12–15 cm (4¾-6 in)
- Black head and breast
- Rusty nape
- Dark back and wing coverts with small white spots
- Dark flanks barred black and white
- Short dark bill
Sexes similar
Distribution
Poorly known, perhaps more numerous than they seem. Currently thought to be very local from U.S. to central Argentina and Chile.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
Ranges are disjunct.
- L. j. coturniculus - Coastal central California south to northern Baja California
- L. j. jamaicensis - Eastern US to Belize and Cuba; winters to Central America and West Indies
- L. j. murivagans - Arid littoral of Peru
- L. j. salinasi - Central Chile (Atacama to Malleco) and extreme west Argentina
- L. j. tuerosi - Andes of central Peru (Lake Junin)
tuerosi is sometimes accepted as full species, Junin Rail.
Habitat
Coastal salt marshes and some freshwater marshes.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet consists of tiny aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, including snails, spiders, ants and aphids; also seeds of some marsh plants.
Breeding
Monogamous. Nests are hidden in clumps of vegetation on marshes and grassland, slightly elevated from the ground. Both sexes appear to incubate the eggs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Nov 2017)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black Rail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Rail
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
