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Mangrove Rail - BirdForum Opus

(Redirected from Rallus longirostris)
Photo by Carlos Henrique
Guaraú, Peruíbe, Brazil, September 2008
Rallus longirostris

Identification

A large rail with a long, slender and slightly decurved bill.

  • 33 cm in length, male average 20% larger than female
  • Dull grey-brown upperparts with darker feather centres
  • White loral streak, grey face
  • Whitish throat
  • Tawny-buff breast
  • Black and white barred flanks
  • cypereti paler above and with paler bars on flanks
  • phelpsi is pale but darker on crown and upperparts
  • margaritae is the darkest subspecies with bolder barring on flanks
  • pelodramus is small like margaritae but paler
  • crassirostris is like nominate but darker on head and upperparts and darker and more cinnamon below

Sexes similar.

Distribution

Found along the coasts of northern South America from Ecuador to Colombia, Venezuela, the Guayanas and Brazil. Also along the Pacific coast of Central America.

Taxonomy

R. wetmorei, the Plain-flanked Rail, is now considered to be split from R. longirostris.
Formerly included in Clapper Rail together with Ridgway's Rail.

Subspecies1

Habitat

Grassy marches and mangroves.

Behaviour

Diet

These birds eat crustaceans, aquatic insects and small fish. They search for food while walking, sometimes probing with their long bills, in shallow water or mud.

This bird is rarely seen flying, which is reflected in the many subspecies found across its range.

References

  1. 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/
  2. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.4). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
  3. Birdforum thread discussing the taxonomy of Clapper Rail

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