Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Mangrove Rail

Rallus longirostris

The Mangrove Rail (Rallus longirostris), a member of the Rallidae family, is a bird of considerable charm, with its long, slender, slightly decurved bill, and light orange-red legs. This species, approximately 33 cm in length and weighing between 260 to 310 grams, exhibits a plumage that is consistent across both sexes.

Identification Tips

Adults of the nominate subspecies, R. l. longirostris, are characterized by their dull gray-brown upperparts with darker feather centers, a white loral streak on a pale gray face, and a whitish throat. Their neck and breast are tawny buff with a white center to the belly, and they display distinctive black and white bars on their flanks. Juveniles resemble adults but are darker and duller in appearance.

Habitat

The Mangrove Rail is typically found in coastal mangrove swamps as well as brackish and salt marshes, environments that provide both cover and feeding opportunities.

Distribution

This species has a discontinuous distribution along the Pacific coast of Central America and the Pacific, Caribbean, and Atlantic coasts of South America. It is divided into eight recognized subspecies, each with its own specific range within this overall distribution.

Behaviour

The Mangrove Rail is a sedentary bird, often foraging near cover, primarily at low tide and during the early hours of the morning or in the early evening.

Song & calls

The main vocalization of the Mangrove Rail is a loud clattering "kek-kek-kek…" that accelerates and then slows, typically heard at dawn and dusk. Both sexes also emit a series of loud, rapid "kak" notes as an advertising call, and occasionally a drawn-out low "raaaaa."

Breeding

Breeding seasons vary geographically, but often include May and June. Nests are constructed of sticks and dead leaves near water, either on the ground or in vegetation. Clutch sizes range from three to seven eggs, with both sexes sharing incubation duties over a period of 18 to 29 days.

Diet and Feeding

The Mangrove Rail has a diverse diet, feeding on crustaceans, molluscs, leeches, insects, fish, amphibians, and also plant matter such as seeds, berries, and tubers. It is believed to hunt primarily by sight, probing the sand and mud, flipping leaf litter, catching small fish in shallow water, and scavenging.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the Mangrove Rail as Least Concern. Although it has a very large range, the population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified, but the degradation and loss of mangroves and other wetland habitats pose a longer-term threat to the species.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Mangrove Rails on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Chris Bell
Chris Bell
11 Sep 2023 - 1:25pm
Colombia

More Rails, Crakes & Coots

A photo of a White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)

White-breasted Waterhen

Amaurornis phoenicurus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.