Râle à nuque rousse

Identification

The russet-naped wood rail is 33 to 40 cm (13 to 16 in) long and weighs about 450 to 600 g (16 to 21 oz). The sexes are alike and the subspecies are practically indistinguishable from each other. Adults have a thick dark yellow bill with a light green tip, a deep red eye, and red to pink legs and feet. Their forehead, crown, and hindneck are slate gray, and the back of the head has a chestnut patch. Their back is grayish olive and the tail black. Their chin and upper throat are white and the sides of the neck, lower throat, and upper breast are gray. The rest of their breast, the upper belly, and flanks are pale tawny cinnamon blending to a pale band separating them from the black lower belly, vent, and underatail coverts. Juveniles have no white on their belly and instead of the adult's black underparts theirs are dark gray with tawny flecks.

Taxonomie

The russet-naped wood rail was originally described as a species but in the early 20th century was reclassified as a subspecies of what was then called the gray-necked wood rail (Aramides cajanea). A 2015 paper by Marcondes and Silveira proposed reconsidering its position and in 2016 taxonomic systems restored it to species status and renamed the now-reduced A. cajanea the grey-cowled wood rail.<p>The Clements taxonomy and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World follow Marcondes and Silveira in treating the russet-naped wood rail as monotypic. However, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) assigns it these five subspecies:

Nom scientifique

Aramides albiventris

Autorité

Lawrence, 1868

Ordre

Gruiformes

Famille

Rallidés

Genre

Aramides

Répartition et habitat

According to the IOC, the subspecies of russet-naped wood rail are found thus:<p>The russet-naped wood rail inhabits a wide variety of landscapes, both wet and dry. Marshes both fresh and salt, swamp forest, river and stream corridors, thorn forest, semi-evergreen forest, and mangrove forest are all represented as long as they provide dense cover.

Migration

Resident species

Comportement

The russet-naped wood rail is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The russet-naped wood rail is usually secretive and mostly forages in dense vegetation. It does feed in the open at times, especially along stream banks, and has also been observed feeding in grassy areas near the forest. Its diet is not known in detail but it has been documented feeding on vegetable matter, snails, crabs, and a snake.<p>The russet-naped wood rail's nesting season is not well known, but adults in breeding condition have been noted in January, April through June, and August. Its nest is a shallow bowl loosely constructed of sticks and plant fibers placed a few meters up in a bush, vines, or a tree. Often the nest is above water. The clutch size is three to seven eggs. The incubation period and time to independence are not known.<p>The russet-naped wood rail's song has been described as "a varied, rapid, crazed-sounding, rollicking, popping, and clucking series". Three transcriptions are "coo-coocoo-coo' ki-ki-kik' cococo", "pop-tiyi pop-tiyi co-co-co-co-co", and "kook-kook-kook-kway!-kway!-kway!-kway!". The species also makes "a sharp shriek, harsh cackle, or growl when disturbed" and "low grunting clucks, puk, whut, kuk etc.". It is most vocal at twilight and at night.

Conservation

Tendance de la population

declining