Colombian Crake
Mustelirallus colombianus
A shy and poorly known bird of marshes and wet, grassy areas. Gray with a brown back, buffy lower underparts, a yellow bill with an orange base, and red legs. Very similar to Paint-billed Crake, but lacks barring on the lower underparts; this feature is usually very hard to see in the dense vegetation the bird typically inhabits. Almost never encountered in the field, in part due to the fact that next to nothing is known about its voice.
Identification
The Colombian crake is 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) long. The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies has a brown crown, nape, and upperparts including the tail. Its throat is white and its face, throat, and breast are gray. Its flanks, belly, and vent are cinnamon. M. c. ripleyi is similar but significantly darker.
Taxonomy
The Colombian crake's taxonomy has not been settled. The North American Classification Committee of AOS (NACC), the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) place it in genus Neocrex. However, in 2015 the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy moved it and the paint-billed crake (M. erythrops) to genus Mustelirallus.<p>This article uses the IOC/NACC/HBW genus. The IOC, HBW, and Clements agree that the paint-billed crake has two subspecies, the nominate M. c. colombianus and M. c. ripleyi.
- Scientific name
- Mustelirallus colombianus
- Authority
- (Bangs, 1898)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Mustelirallus
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of Colombian crake is found from northern Colombia south into northwestern Ecuador. M. c. ripleyi is found from central Panama into northwestern Colombia's Chocó Department. There are few records of the species and the exact boundaries of the two subspecies' ranges are not known. The species inhabits wet to moist landscapes such as marshes, swamps, savanna, and the brushy edges of forest; not all of these have water bodies. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Colombian crake is considered to be sedentary.<p>Nothing is known about the Colombian crake's feeding habits or diet. They are assumed to be similar to those of its closest relative, the paint-billed crake. That species forages in soil, leaf litter, and standing water, and at dawn and dusk has been noted feeding in open areas next to dense vegetation. It is known to eat invertebrates including Diplopoda and Coleoptera and also seeds.<p>The Colombian crake's breeding season is not fully defined but appears to include at least December to February. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>As of late 2022 xeno-canto had only one recording of a Colombian crake vocalization and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had none. That recording is of an immature bird being held by a researcher and is judged to be a distress call.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Antarctic Prion
Pachyptila desolata
A medium-sized prion with a noticeable dark “M'' stretched across their back from wingtip to wingtip noticeable in flight. They breed on Antarctic and subantarctic islands in the South Indian, Southern and South Atlantic Oceans and are widespread and abundant at sea around these areas. Regular visitor to New Zealand and Southern Australia during the austral winter. Very similar to other prion species, especially Salvin’s prion, with the Antarctic prion having a slightly brighter blue bill with straighter sides and a larger nail at the tip.
Gould's Toucanet
Selenidera gouldii
Beautiful small, multicolored toucan. Males have a black crown and underparts; in females, the black is replaced by chestnut. Note the black and orange patches on the bill. Inhabits lowland humid forest, seasonally flooded forest, gallery forest, and old second growth. Forages from middle levels to the canopy, usually in fruiting trees. Call is a deep and somewhat slow series of “ggrawnk” to “ggrraaw” notes, easily overlooked.
Striated Yuhina
Staphida castaniceps
Typical yuhina: a small crested bird, usually encountered foraging in the upper and middle levels of broadleaf forests in large flocks. Brown above and white below, with a brown patch behind the ear. Crest is brown in north Indian subspecies and gray in all others. Gray-headed birds are all but identical in appearance to Indochinese Yuhina, which barely overlaps in range. A frequent member of mixed-species foraging flocks. Chatters, twitters, and whistles incessantly while foraging, especailly when moving between trees.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.