Alternative name: Mexican Rail
- Rallus tenuirostris
Identification
33-42 cm.
Dark morph
- Duller, less dark and less boldly marked on upperparts than King Rail
- Wite chin and throat contrasting with broad pale cinnamon-pink malar stripe
- Rufous underparts with barred dull brown and white to pinkish-cinnamon flanks
- Mostly plain white undertail-coverts
Pale morph
- Very pale centre of underparts, white with pinkish-cinnamon wash
Sexes similar, juveniles are darker above and duller than adults.
Distribution
 |
Eastern Mexico (the other colours show the distribution of King Rail) |
| Legend |
Habitat
Freshwater or brackish marshes and marsh-shrub swamp habitats.
Recorded from 800 to 2500 m.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Formerly considered conspecific with King Rail (and sometimes also with Clapper Rail, Mangrove Rail and Ridgway's Rail)
Behaviour
Diet
Mainly crayfish and crabs, but also includes other aquatic invertebrates, small fish, insects, and some plant seeds.
Breeding
Breeding season from April to September. One recorded nest was a domed structure placed in a seasonal stand of spikerush. 5 eggs recorded.
Movements
A resident species with some seasonal dispersal.
References
- Howell, Steve N.G. and Sophie Webb. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198540120
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.4). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Aztec Rail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Aztec_Rail
