Austral Rail
Rallus antarcticus
Scarce, very local, and rarely seen rail of Patagonia. Found in fresh marshes and lake edges with tall reeds and rushes. Sometimes comes out to feed at edges of reeds early and late in the day, but mainly detected by voice. No similar species in range: note the striped back, barred flanks, and red bill. Plumbeous Rail is larger with plain plumage and a greenish bill.
Identification
The austral rail is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long. Adults have dull brown upperparts with buff-edged black centers to the back feathers. Their face and throat are gray, their breast olive brown, and their flanks barred with black and white. Juveniles are similar with the addition of sooty tips on the breast feathers and a white throat.
Taxonomy
Some authors have considered the austral rail as conspecific with the Virginia rail (R. limicola) but their treatment has not been widely accepted. The species is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Rallus antarcticus
- Authority
- King, PP, 1828
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Rallus
Range and habitat
The austral rail is patchily distributed in southern Chile's Magallanes Region and in southern Argentina between the departments of Río Negro and Santa Cruz. It formerly occurred as far north as Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has also been recorded as a vagrant on the Falkland Islands. It is found mostly near the coast where it inhabits wet fields and meadows, rushy lake shores, and reedbeds.
- Migration
- unknown
Behavior
Some of the southernmost populations appear to move north during the austral autumn.<p>Little is known about the austral rail's foraging behavior and diet. Both are assumed to be similar to that of the Ecuadorian rail (R. aequatorialis), which has an eclectic diet.<p>The austral rail's breeding biology is almost unknown. It appears to breed during October and November in Chile and November in Argentina. What is thought to be its nest was on the ground under a bramble; it was a depression in the ground lined with grass and rushes and held eight eggs.<p>The austral rail's main vocalization is "a series of high-pitched notes 'pee', 'peeree', 'peek' etc." which is often given in duet. It also makes "low booming sounds or grunts" and "a rather drawn-out single squeal."
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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