Uniform Crake
Amaurolimnas concolor
Larger than most crakes. Found in wet forests instead of marshes. Very difficult to see as it creeps through dense understory. Far more easily heard: a series of upslurred whistled notes. Look for a brown bird with richer rufous underparts, a dull greenish-yellowish bill, and reddish legs. Favors dense wet forest or thickets, often but not always near a swamp or stream.
Identification
The uniform crake is 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) long and weighs about 95 to 130 g (3.4 to 4.6 oz). The sexes are alike. They have a medium length yellowish green bill, a red eye, and pinkish red legs and feet. A. c. guatemalensis is the larger of the two living subspecies; it has olivaceous brown upperparts and brown underparts. A. c. castaneus is also olivaceous brown above, but has rufous brown underparts.
Taxonomy
The uniform crake was first described in genus Rallus and at various times since then placed in genera Aramides and Laterallus before its present Amaurolimnas. It is the only member of that genus and has two extant subspecies, A. c. guatemalensis and A. c. castaneus. The nominate subspecies, the Jamaican wood rail (A. c. concolor), which was endemic to Jamaica, is extinct.
- Scientific name
- Amaurolimnas concolor
- Authority
- (Gosse, 1847)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Amaurolimnas
Range and habitat
The uniform crake has a highly disjunct distribution. Subspecies A. c. guatemalensis is found from Veracruz and Oaxaca in southern Mexico through Central America (except El Salvador) and western Colombia into northwestern Ecuador. A. c. castaneus is found in northern Venezuela, the Guianas, several separate areas of Brazil both inland and coastal, eastern Ecuador and Peru, and locally in Bolivia. It inhabits a variety of wet to almost dry landscapes including wooded swamps, flooded forest, heavily vegetated ravines and streams, and dense vegetation on the edges of secondary forest and cultivated areas. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The movements of the uniform crake, if any, are not known.<p>The uniform crake mostly forages in cover, where it searches leaf litter and other detritus and digs in mud with its bill. Its diet includes earthworms, insects and spiders, small amphibians and lizards, seeds, and berries.<p>The uniform crake's breeding season is essentially unknown; in Costa Rica it does include July. It is thought to be territorial in the breeding season. One nest in Costa Rica was in a swamp forest near a stream. It was a cup made of leaves in the top of a vine-covered stump and contained four eggs.<p>The uniform crake's song is a "series of 6–20 upslurred 'tooee' whistles". Pairs maintain contact with "clear, but not loud, whistled 'tooo' notes". The species' alarm call is "a sharp, nasal 'kek'".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Apus horus
A dark, sturdy swift with a shallowly forked tail and a broad, white rump patch. It prefers to breed in colonies of other hole-nesting species (e.g, bee-eaters, kingfishers, martins and starlings) and forages widely over adjacent terrain. A thin quavering “prrreeeoooo” call, often given near nests, is distinctive. The similar Little Swift differs from Horus Swift by being slightly smaller and having a square tail; the larger White-rumped Swift is more slender, has a deeply-forked tail, and has narrow white “U” on the rump.
Olive-capped Coua
Coua olivaceiceps
Long-tailed, long-legged understory bird with a brownish-green cap. Found in spiny forest at low elevations in southwestern Madagascar. Sometimes uses degraded forest. Rather shy, and quickly walks away from any disturbance. Most common calls are an explosive, ascending series of whistles and a low-pitched “hoo-hoo-hoo”. Similar to Running Coua, but has longer tail and legs, and lacks the pink facial skin of Running. Smaller than Giant Coua, without its rufous belly and pink facial skin.
Malagasy Swift
Apus balstoni
Dark, mid-sized swift with powerful, direct flight. Can be seen in flight over any habitat, including towns and cities. Often in flocks of dozens or hundreds that sometimes also contain Alpine Swifts. Larger size and stronger flight distinguish Madagascar Swift from most other swifts in the region. Smaller than Alpine Swift, with a dark belly. Very similar to vagrant Common Swift, but has contrastingly pale panels at the bases of the wings, adjacent to the body.
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