Aztec Rail

Overview

The Aztec rail, also known as the Mexican rail (Rallus tenuirostris), is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is endemic to Mexico and currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Identification

• Length ranges from 33 to 42 cm, with males weighing 271 to 331 g and females 220 to 268 g.
• Features both dark and light morphs; the dark morph has rich brown upperparts with blackish back markings, a pale pinkish cheek stripe, and rufous underparts with cinnamon barring on the flanks.
• The light morph displays pale white underparts with a pinkish cinnamon wash.
• Vocalisations include a loud, harsh series of 'kik' or 'kuk' notes for courtship and 'chac' notes as an advertising call.

Habitat

Found almost exclusively in central Mexico, with recent records in Chihuahua, the species inhabits both seasonal and permanent highland freshwater marshes. It occurs at elevations ranging from 800 m up to at least 2,500 m.

Diet

The principal food is crustaceans, especially crayfish, but the diet also includes molluscs, terrestrial and aquatic insects, and possibly spiders, fish, and amphibians.

Did you know?

The Aztec rail was previously treated as conspecific with the mangrove rail, Ridgway's rail, the king rail, and the clapper rail, but is now recognised as a separate species following a 2013 study that detailed their different genetics and morphologies.