Plumbeous Rail

Overview

The plumbeous rail (Pardirallus sanguinolentus) is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is notable for being found further south than any other South American rail, with a very large range across multiple South American countries.

Identification

• Mottled brown upperparts and plain gray face and underparts in the nominate subspecies, with some subspecies lacking mottling or showing olive-brown tones.
• Red eyes and legs, with a green bill; in all but one subspecies, the maxilla has a sky blue base and the mandible a bright red one.
• Size ranges from 30 to 38 cm in length and 170 to 230 g in weight, with sexes alike.
• Song consists of a series of high, penetrating, rolling squeals in a duet with the female's low, deep 'hoo' notes, and calls of repeated 'giyp' or 'wit' notes.

Habitat

The plumbeous rail inhabits a variety of landscapes characterised by water and vegetative cover, such as reed marshes, ponds with floating vegetation, irrigated croplands, wet ditches through pasture, and oases in arid areas. Its range includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, extending as far south as Tierra del Fuego and occasionally reaching the Falkland Islands as a vagrant.

Diet

The plumbeous rail mostly forages at twilight but is also active during both day and night, seeking its diet of grubs, worms, and insects in marshes, ponds, and nearby cultivated fields.

Did you know?

Fossils of the plumbeous rail from the late Pleistocene to early Holocene have been found in the Laguna de Tagua Tagua formation in Chile, providing a historical record of the species in the region.