RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS   -   RALLIDAE

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)

Giant Wood-Rail Aramides ypecaha Quinta, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. (D4)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Blackish Rail Pardirallus nigricans nigricans Algulhas Negras road, Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. An adult and juvenile together. (S5)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Red-gartered Coot Fulica armillata Laguna Mar Chiquita, Córdoba province, Argentina. (D3)

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)

Giant Coot Fulica gigantea Lauca National Park, Region I, Chile. An adult feeding a recently fledged young. (S5)

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)

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)

White-winged Coot Fulica leucoptera Punta Delgada, Region XII, Chile. (S5)