Gray-throated Rail
Canirallus oculeus
A distinctive and rarely encountered forest rail with a gray face, a red neck and chest, and a banded appearance to the belly. The hind neck and back are brown, contrasting with the reddish tail. Found in thick vegetation in lowland forest, especially along creeks and near marshes. Song can last up to three minutes: a series of doubled hollow notes becoming interspersed with and eventually replaced by softer notes as the song progresses. Also gives a rapid booming series of 3-6 half-second notes that descend on a scale of half tones. Sings by day or night.
Identification
A distinctive and rarely encountered forest rail with a gray face, a red neck and chest, and a banded appearance to the belly. The hind neck and back are brown, contrasting with the reddish tail. Found in thick vegetation in lowland forest, especially along creeks and near marshes. Song can last up to three minutes: a series of doubled hollow notes becoming interspersed with and eventually replaced by softer notes as the song progresses. Also gives a rapid booming series of 3-6 half-second notes that descend on a scale of half tones. Sings by day or night.
Taxonomy
Genus: Canirallus; Family: Rallidae; Order: Gruiformes.
- Scientific name
- Canirallus oculeus
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1855)
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Rallidae
- Genus
- Canirallus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Tawny Tit-Spinetail
Sylviorthorhynchus yanacensis
Small, bright cinnamon bird with a long tail. Found at high elevations in pockets of short Polylepis forests and scrub, usually surrounded by grasslands or barren rock. Forages singly or in pairs in shrubs, calling and singing frequently; listen for high-pitched chips and twitters, as well as its song, an accelerating series of high, metallic notes.
Gray-capped Cuckoo
Coccyzus lansbergi
Brightly-colored cuckoo found mainly west of the Andes. Combination of rufous-tawny body and gray separates it from other cuckoos in range. Nests in deciduous forest, dense scrub, and savanna at lower elevations. Outside of the breeding season, it disperses widely and can be seen far from its breeding areas, including at high elevations on rare occasions. Furtive and rarely comes out into the open for long. Song is short series of soft, guttural notes; also gives a harsh churr.
Green Iora
Aegithina viridissima
A medium-sized canopy-dweller of lowland and foothill forests, often seen with mixed flocks. Male is dark olive-green with boldly black-and-white-striped wings; female is paler, with an olive back and a less contrasting wing pattern. Look for bright yellow “goggles” around dark eyes in both sexes; Common Iora lacks these goggles and has pale eyes, but these can be hard to discern. Song is high, simple, and repetitive: “wit-dee, wit-dee, wit-dee” or “chew-a-wee-chew, chew-a-wee.” Calls vary, but the most common ones are downslurred and rather nasal-sounding.
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