The Story
This Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (Aramides cajaneus) was at the Jardín Botánico San Jorge in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. It lives mainly in forests, mangroves and swamps, usually from sea level to about 2,000 meters. Pairs are monogamous and stay together all year. It nests on flat branches and in thickets, usually 1 to 3 meters off the ground. A clutch is three to seven eggs, and both parents incubate. Ibagué, the capital of Tolima, sits on the Central Andes between the Combeima Canyon and the Magdalena valley, near Nevado del Tolima.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, −1 EV. IUCN lists the Gray-cowled Wood-Rail as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (Aramides cajaneus) belongs to the family Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List