Aramides cajanea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The grey-cowled wood rail or grey-necked wood rail (Aramides cajaneus; also gray-) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, the rails. It lives primarily in the forests, mangroves, and swamps of Central and South America. Of the two subspecies, A. c. avicenniae is found in southeastern Brazil, while the nominate is found throughout the portion of the range not occupied by the other subspecies. The species as a whole is usually found at elevations from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), although some have been found above that. This bird's large range, along with its significant population, is why it is considered to be least-concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In some places, it is occasionally hunted and kept for food.
This bird, large for a wood rail, has both a grey head and neck. In the nominate, the back of the head has a brown patch. The upperparts are olive-green to dark brown. The chest and flanks are a rufous colour, with the belly, rump, and tail being black. The legs are coral-red, the bill is a bright greenish-yellow, and the eyes are red. The sexes are similar. The juveniles can be differentiated by their duller look, and the chicks have a black, downy appearance, brown head, and black beak. The subspecies A. c. avicenniae can be differentiated by its smaller size, lack of a brown patch at the back of the neck, and its lower back being toned slightly olive. The underparts are also pale.
The bird is monogamous; pairs can be found together throughout the year. During the breeding season, which usually lasts from March to August, the grey-cowled wood rail builds nests that can be found on flat branches and in thickets, usually at heights between 1 and 3 metres (3 and 10 ft). In these nests, there is a clutch consisting of three to seven eggs, incubated by both sexes. The chicks that hatch are precocial, able to move soon after hatching. This rail feeds on a wide range of foods, from molluscs to seeds. It is also known to feed on the faeces of giant otters. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Campo Grande | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 10 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Terra Natura Benidorm | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Topeka Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-cowled Wood-Rail sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 291st most-seen of the 346 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-cowled Wood-Rail in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-cowled Wood-Rail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
41st of 42
Of the 42 parks where we can rate Gray-cowled Wood-Rail sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 41st at under 5%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%), Marino Ballena National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-cowled Wood-Rail is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguaçu National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
