The Story
I photographed this Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (Aramides cajaneus) at Entreaguas Reserva Natural, near Coello in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, at about 1,170 meters. It lives in forests, mangroves and swamps of Central and South America, usually from sea level to 2,000 meters. Pairs are monogamous and can be found together all year. Its diet runs from mollusks to seeds, and both sexes incubate a clutch of three to seven eggs. Its loud, repetitive cackling call is heard mainly at dawn and dusk, often sung as a chorus or duet. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. In some places it is occasionally hunted for food.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, −0.5 EV. Entreaguas, in the Coello–Cocora area of Ibagué, offers ecological walks and birdwatching tours.
©2021 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