Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus Scientific name definitions

The Spotted Rail is a large rail of Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of South America.  It is relatively poorly known, and is curiously distributed in widely disjunct patches.  The species has proven to be a long distance vagrant, with a specimen record from southwestern Pennsylvania, USA.  Adults are quite dark overall, with a tapered, yellow bill with red spots at the base of the mandible, blackish head with red eye, black and brown upperparts, black underparts with white spotting, and pinkish legs.

25–28cm; male 148–219 (189)g, female 130–190 (156) g, unsexed 140–198 (171)g. Sexes alike; female probably slightly smaller. Differs from all other rallids in strikingly variegated plumage and long greenish yellow bill with red spot at base. Immature not properly described. Juvenile has brownish iris, and duller bill and legs; plumage variable, of 3 colour morphs: dark morph, with almost plain, dark brown upperparts, and sooty, dark-tipped ventral feathers with no white bars; pale morph, with throat and breast pale greyish brown, and breast weakly barred white; barred morph, with throat grey, spotted white, and breast and belly sharply barred white. Dark morph juvenile (maculatus) has almost plain plumage and is similar to P. sanguinolentus and P. nigricans, both of which, however, have paler upperparts and bright red legs and feet; P. sanguinolentus is larger, with grey chin and throat, and grey-brown vent contrasting with slaty grey underparts; P. nigricans has black vent and tail. Races separated on upperparts pattern, <em>maculatus</em> streaked , insolitus spotted; and colour of juvenile undertail-coverts, grey or white tipped buff in maculatus, and white tipped grey in insolitus.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Also occurs in Panama, race unknown (perhaps nominate (1 Dickinson, E. C., and J. V. Remsen, Editors (2013). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth edition. Volume 1. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close , 2 Taylor, P.B. and van Perlo, B. (1998). Rails. A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) ).

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SUBSPECIES

Pardirallus maculatus insolitus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Mexico to Costa Rica.

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SUBSPECIES

Pardirallus maculatus maculatus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Trinidad; Colombia E to the Guianas and E Brazil, and S to NW Peru, E Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Inhabits marshes , including those predominantly of Typha or Polygonum, swamps, rice paddies and other irrigated fields, grassy ditches, and wet grasslands; one occupied site in Costa Rica had Panicum purpurescens 45 cm to 1 m tall; also recorded from tall grass on abandoned airfield. Requires dense cover of emergent plants, grass or tangled second growth. Occurs from lowlands up to 2000 m.

None recorded, but may show widespread dispersal or vagrancy. In Surinam, one entered house at night in Paramaribo, far from suitable habitat, in Jan. Moves locally in response to adverse conditions such as drought (Surinam) or changing water levels (Costa Rica). Accidental in North America, with records from Pennsylvania and Texas, both possibly man-assisted; also Juan Fernández Is (off Chile).

Earthworms, adult and larval insects (Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera and Odonata), and other invertebrates  ; small fish; also pondweed Potamogeton epihydrus. Normally keeps within cover but may feed in fairly open situations at any time of day, especially in early morning and late evening. Forages at water's edge or while wading; probes in mud.

Cuba, late summer to early autumn, at least to Sept; Hispaniola, breeding condition Jun; Trinidad, Jun–Aug; Costa Rica, breeding condition Jul; Colombia, 2 young Dec. Monogamous; apparently territorial, at least during breeding season. Nest a cupped platform of grass or a bowl of dead rushes, built low down in wet grass or other marsh vegetation, often just above shallow water. Eggs 2–7. Young chicks recorded in São Paulo, Brazil, in Apr and May  ; chicks  have black down.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally distributed; in past often regarded as uncommon to rare, but locally common in Zapata Swamp (Cuba), Costa Rica, Colombia and Surinam. Current status unclear in many areas, but locally frequent to uncommon in Mexico, where is more widespread than was formerly known and may be increasing (or previously overlooked); local in French Guiana; few records in Panama. Undoubtedly overlooked, especially when breeding, and probably more widespread within range than existing records suggest. Thought to have been extirpated from Jamaica, but rediscovered in 1977 and breeding documented in 2014 (3 Graves, G.R., Turland, V.A. and Levy, C. (2015). History of the Spotted Rail (Pardirallus maculatus) in Jamaica with first photographic documentation of breeding. Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 28: 11–14. Close ). Predation by the introduced mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus was thought to have drastically reduced the population in drained agricultural lands of Cuba by 1960s, while disappearance of species from Jamaica was also attributed to mongoose predation.