Plate 023 · on a muddy stream bank, with a crab IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Grey head and neck, the cowl of its English name.
- 2Brown hindcrown behind the grey of the head.
- 3Long yellow-green bill. Greener at the tip.
- 4Rufous breast and flanks, a warm chestnut.
- 5Black rear belly and tail. It flicks the short tail as it walks.
- 6Long red legs, with a matching red eye.
Easily confused with Plumbeous RailPardirallus sanguinolentusSmaller and plain grey-brown below, without the rufous breast or black belly. Green bill with a red and blue base. 023 / 100 · BIRDS · RALLIDAELEAST CONCERN Grey-cowled Wood-Rail
Aramides cajaneus
Chiricote · Grey-necked Wood-Rail
About the size of a small hen, it walks the muddy edges of streams in the lower forest. It is easier to hear than to see: at dawn and dusk pairs shout a loud duet, chiricote, which gives it its name. It also lives in wooded parks at the foot of the mountains, as in Yerba Buena.
- Length
- c. 33 – 40 cm
- Altitude
- c. 300 – 1,200 m
- Nest
- platform in a shrub, near water
- Voice
- loud duets at dawn and dusk
- Forest streams
- Sings in duets
- Omnivore
- Shy
Altitude rangeWater and shade in the lower forest
All year It lives in the foothill forest and the lower part of the montane forest, always near streams, marshes or wet spots with dense cover. The upper limit is approximate.
FoodWhatever it finds in the mud
- Crabsalong stream banks
- Insects and larvaeunder leaf litter
- Snails and wormsin wet soil
- Frogs and tadpolesoccasional
- Seeds and fallen fruitsupplement
It walks slowly and flips leaves with its bill. It eats almost any small animal it can catch in mud or shallow water.
BehaviourHeard more than seen
- Pair chorus. Both birds of a pair call together, mostly at dawn and dusk.
- Runs for cover. When alarmed it runs into thick cover with its tail cocked. It rarely flies.
- Raised nest. It builds a platform of twigs and leaves in a shrub or low tree, near water.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Percy Hill (Yerba Buena)
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules