Grey-cowled wood rail

Placed in the family Rallidae—the rails—this species was originally described as Fulica Cajanea by Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller, in his 1776 Vollständiges Natursystem. Müller based his description on the illustration "Poule d'Eau de Cayenne" (Cayenne's water hen) by French naturalist and artist Edme-Louis Daubenton in his ''Planches Enlumineés d'Histoire Naturelle. It was eventually moved to the new genus Aramides, the wood rails, by Jacques Pucheran in 1845, and the specific epithet was changed to cajaneus''. The grey-cowled wood rail is regarded as being sister species with the russet-naped wood rail, The number of subspecies is contentious, some authorities recognize up to nine, It is even suggested that the subspecies avicenniae be split off as a full species, based on differences in morphology and calls, speculated to have arisen because the slaty-breasted wood rail acted as an ecological barrier between the two subspecies. The subspecies, according to the International Ornithologists' Union, are: • Aramides cajaneus cajaneus (Müller, 1776) — from Costa Rica to Colombia, east through Venezuela and Trinidad to Brazil, and south to Northern Argentina and Uruguay • A. c. avicenniae Stotz, 1992 — coastal southeastern Brazil Etymology The genus name of the grey-cowled wood rail—Aramides—is derived from the combination of the genus name Aramus and of the Greek oidēs, "resembling". This refers to the similarity between birds of the genus Aramides and the one species of the genus Aramus. The specific epithet, cajaneus, is in reference to the capital city of French Guiana, Cayenne. The subspecies epithet avicenniae honours the Persian philosopher Avicenna. ==Description==

The grey-cowled wood rail usually measures long and weighs , particularly large for a wood rail. and a small, white behind the tip of the , as well as a very small one at the tip of the . The subspecies avicenniae differs from the nominate by its smaller size. but without white feathers. Avicenniae's upper wing-coverts are also more greenish-grey. The similar but smaller rufous-necked wood rail can be differentiated from the grey-necked wood rail by the former's reddish head and neck with a grey upper back. This bird its simultaneously. This moult occurs during the months from March to June. Vocalizations The grey-cowled wood rail has a loud, repetitive cackling call mainly heard at dawn and dusk: pop-tiyi pop-tiyi co-co-co-co-co or chitico chitico cao-cao-cao. These songs are often sung in a chorus or duet. The is a harsh, loud cackle or clucking shriek. The chitico chitico cao-cao-cao call made by this rail is similar to the brown wood rail's kui-ko call. ==Distribution and habitat==

The grey-cowled wood rail is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The nominate subspecies is cut off by the Andes Mountains and lives east of the range in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; it is not found in the southeastern interior of Brazil. The subspecies avicenniae is found in coastal southeastern Brazil, around São Paulo. The grey-cowled wood rail's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical swamps. The subspecies avicenniae, however, is almost completely restricted to mangrove forests. The grey-cowled wood rail can be found from sea level to elevations around , although some wanderers have been recorded at elevations up to in Colombia. ==Behaviour and ecology==

This bird can be seen to perch in both shrubbery and even trees, something characteristic of the forest rails. The grey-cowled wood rail rarely flies, although when it is flushed out, it will generally move to a branch close to the ground. If it is being observed, it is generally cautious. Breeding The grey-cowled wood rail's nests are situated in trees and bushes, usually 1 to 3 metres (3.3 to 9.8 ft) off the ground, built on flat branches or in thickets and lined with twigs and leaves. They generally have a diameter between on the outside, with an internal diameter of around . The depth is usually between under . The overall height of the nest is around . The clutch the grey-cowled wood rail lays usually consists of three to seven brown-blotched, slightly glossy, arthropods, frogs, seeds, grains, leaves, berries, palm fruits, and the occasional water snake. Maize, rice, and bananas are also viable food items for the grey-necked wood rail. When eating snails, this rail will hammer at the shells to extract them. For berries, it will jump high to break off clusters of this fruit. P. lutzi is also found on this bird. ==Status==

This rail is considered to be a least-concern species, according to the IUCN. The justification is this species' stable and large population, believed to be somewhere between five million and 50 million individuals. The grey-cowled wood rail also has a large extent of occurrence, estimated to cover . They are usually hunted with baited fish hooks that are laid near the bodies of water where these birds forage. In the Las Minas District, in Panama, this bird is also kept for food. Although it is generally cautious, it can tolerate an approach by humans up to about away from it, after which it will retreat into the undergrowth. ==References==