A medium-sized rail that prefers the wooded margins of watercourses and gallery forests. The head and neck are gray in front and chestnut behind, the breast reddish-chestnut, the belly black and the legs reddish. The bill is yellow-green (yellowish at the base and greenish at the tip) and the iris is red. It measures 33 to 40 cm. Much more tied to riverine woodland than the Giant Wood-Rail, which by contrast favors open reedbeds.
Behaviour
It walks cautiously through the damp understory and the wooded banks of the channels, looking for insects, worms, small frogs and fallen fruit on the ground. Very shy: at the first sign of danger it freezes or runs off into the thicket.
How and when to see it
Dawn and dusk. Much easier to hear than to see. The riverside woodland of Portals Cambyretá, Carambola and Laguna Iberá are the best sites.
Where to see it in the Iberá
The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where gray-cowled wood-rail has confirmed presence:
Tours to see it
Verified providers operating at the gateways where gray-cowled wood-rail lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.
- Esteros Ñe’é
Experiences with local storytelling and a cultural take on the marshes.★ 5.0 - Gaucho Argentino
Horseback journeys across a network of refuges in Iberá. Multi-day rides with overnight…★ 5.0 - Irupé Excursiones
Guided hiking. Guided visit to museums, historic sites, chapels and trails of the town…★ 5.0 - Navegando Ituzaingó
Private sailboat rides on the Paraná with captain Mario: sunrise, morning and sunset…★ 5.0
Species profile
- Common nameGray-cowled Wood-Rail
- Scientific nameAramides cajaneus
- GroupBird
- StatusNative
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