Speckled Rail Coturnicops notatus Scientific name definitions

The Speckled Rail is a poorly known species with a curiously patchy and disjunct distribution in northern and southern South America. It has long been speculated that this species, like its Nearctic congener, the Yellow Rail, undertakes long distance migration, breeding in savannas from southern Brazil and central Argentina and wintering in the northerly savannas of Colombia and Venezuela. This is likely erroneous due to overlapping dates of occurrence and enlarged testes of birds collected in Venezuela. At the least, these far flung localities point to long distance dispersal, a feat not uncommon in the family. This is corroborated by numerous Speckled Rail specimens taken at sea, including the type specimen, which was collected by the HMS Beagle in 1831 at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. It is best known from grassy savannas, dense marshy vegetation, swamps and rice paddies where it forages for seeds and some arthropod prey.

13–14 cm; unsexed 30g. Sexes alike. White on secondaries distinguishes from all sympatric rallids. Laterallus jamai­censis is similar in size and overall colour but lacks white markings on head , neck and breast, has prominent white bars only from flanks and lower belly to undertail-coverts, and has olive brown to blackish brown legs and feet. <em>Porzana spiloptera</em> is another very dark small wetland crake but has white spots and bars of upperparts confined to upperwing-coverts and remiges, white barring on underparts only from belly and flanks to undertail-­coverts, and brown legs and feet. Easily distinguished from all other sympatric small rallids by very dark plumage with white spots and bars. Probable immatures have fewer spots on upperparts, some tending to be barred rather than spotted; white streaks and mottling, rather than roundish white spots, on lower throat and breast; undertail-coverts mostly sandy cinnamon rather than olive brown barred with white. Juvenile undescribed.

S Brazil to Uruguay, Paraguay and N Argentina; also S Colombia, W Venezuela, Guyana and N Bolivia; status uncertain in much of apparent range, e.g. probably breeds in province of Córdoba, in Argentina.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Occurs over very large area but records very sparse, with few in any country, and species normally described as very rare. However, apparent occurrence throughout the year at Taubaté, Brazil, where it is not common but not rare, was taken to indicate that species is difficult to find rather than scarce; this may well be so, but, until further evidence is forthcoming, best considered genuinely rare.