Mangrove Rail

Overview

The mangrove rail (Rallus longirostris) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, found discontinuously across Central and South America. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, although its population size remains unknown and is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Approximately 33 cm long, with a long, slender, and slightly decurved bill featuring a brownish upper mandible and an orange-yellow lower mandible.
• Legs are light orange-red, and adults possess dull gray-brown upperparts with darker feather centres.
• The face is pale gray with a distinct white loral streak, accompanied by a whitish throat, tawny buff neck and breast, and a white belly centre.
• Flanks display prominent black and white bars, while the main vocalisation is a loud, clattering 'kek-kek-kek' that accelerates and then slows.

Habitat

This species inhabits coastal mangrove swamps, as well as brackish and salt marshes. Its range covers the Pacific coast of Central America and the Pacific, Caribbean, and Atlantic coasts of South America, though it is distributed discontinuously within these regions.

Diet

The mangrove rail forages near cover, primarily at low tide and during the morning and early evening, by probing sand and mud and tossing aside leaf litter. Its diet is highly diverse, including crustaceans, molluscs, insects, fish, and amphibians, with a shift towards seeds, berries, and tubers in winter.

Did you know?

Although formerly considered part of a single species complex that included the Aztec rail and clapper rail, genetic and morphological studies confirmed in 2013 that the mangrove rail is a distinct species, with many systems now viewing it as most closely related to Ridgway's rail.