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RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS
- RALLIDAE
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Bogota
Rail
Rallus
semiplumbeus
La Florida marsh, Bogota, Colombia.
Probably endemic to the highlands of Colombia,
but there is one old specimen from Peru that is quite a mystery. (D3) |
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Giant
Wood-Rail
Aramides
ypecaha
Quinta, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.
(D4) |
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Gray-necked
Wood-Rail
Aramides
cajanea cajanea
Pantanal Wildlife Center, Mato
Grosso state, Brazil.
Unlike most wood-rails, this is one that you
can expect to find out in the open on a fairly regular basis. (S6) |
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Slaty-breasted
Wood-Rail
Aramides
saracura
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Brazil.
A common bird in the Atlantic Rainforest
region, often walking boldly out in the open and even running across
busy roads. (S6) |
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Rufous-sided
Crake
Laterallus
melanophaius melanophaius
Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.
One
of the more common crakes in South America, but they rarely come out in
the open like this. It was a bit too far for my 400mm lens though. (S6) |
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Gray-breasted
Crake
Laterallus
exilis
Fazenda Pedra D'Anta, Pernambuco state, Brazil.
A widespread Neotropical species, but always
very shy and hard to see. (S6) |
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Blackish
Rail
Pardirallus
nigricans nigricans
Algulhas Negras road, Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.
An adult and juvenile together. (S5) |
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Blackish
Rail
Pardirallus
nigricans nigricans
Caraça reserve, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
This
is one member of a surprisingly bold pair living around the little duck
pond at the monastery. They are easy to see most mornings. (S6) |
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Plumbeous
Rail
Pardirallus
sanguinolentus sanguinolentus
El Cóndor, Pampa de Achala, Córdoba province, Argentina.
Foraging in a little rain puddle on the side
of the road. It's very similar to the Blackish Rail P. nigricans above,
but has those bright splashes of color at the base of its bill. (S5) |
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Black
(Junin) Rail
Laterallus jamaicensis
tuerosi
Ondores, Junín department, Peru.
This tiny rail, which SACC now considers to be
a subspecies of the more widespread Black Rail (L. jamaicensis),
has a miniscule range in Juncus
reedbeds along the shores of Lake Junín in central Peru. Apparently it
was known only from specimens until 2007, when a few people
finally saw it with the help of a local farmer who used his dogs to
corner the bird. This farmer now works with the national park service
and a Peruvian NGO called ECOAN, and is no longer permitted to use
dogs. However, he can still find it for birders by using local people
to do the herding. Once the rail reached the edge of the reedbed, it
simply
froze, and we were able to see it very closely. (P2) |
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Spot-flanked
Gallinule
Gallinula
melanops melanops
Lagoa de Peixe National Park, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.
A strangely localized bird, found in scattered
sites
throughout South America, but not common anywhere I have ever been to.
(D4) |
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Purple
Gallinule
Porphyrio
martinica
Fazenda Pedra D'Anta, Pernambuco state, Brazil.
This
bold gallinule took advantage of a sorghum plant growing at the edge of
its marsh. It fed on it repeatedly over the several days I was there.
(S6) |
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Azure
Gallinule
Porphyrio
flavirostris
La Y, Apure state, Venezuela.
A very shy bird, almost never coming out of
dense grass. This is about a clear a view as you ever get. (D3) |
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Red-gartered
Coot
Fulica
armillata
Laguna Mar Chiquita, Córdoba province, Argentina.
(D3) |
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Giant
Coot
Fulica
gigantea
Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile.
A
well-named bird, this coot is truly huge; it can be more than 60 cm
long. Here's an adult standing on its nest, a massive mound of
vegetation. (S5) |
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Giant
Coot
Fulica
gigantea
Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile.
An adult feeding a recently fledged young. (S5) |
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Caribbean
Coot
Fulica
caribaea
Yacambú NP, Lara state, Venezuela.
Probably
an immature as it lacks any red on the frontal shield. It is sometimes
considered conspecific with American Coot (F. americana). (D3) |
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American
Coot
Fulica
americana columbiana
Parque La Florida, Bogota, Colombia.
A
very localized bird in South America, now only found in central
Colombia. It used to be in northern Ecuador, but no longer
occurs
for unknown reasons. (D3) |
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White-winged
Coot
Fulica
leucoptera
Punta Delgada, Region XII, Chile.
(S5) |
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