| Uniform crake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Amaurolimnas concolor | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Amaurolimnas Sharpe, 1893 |
| Species: | A. concolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Amaurolimnas concolor (Gosse, 1847) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Theuniform crake (Amaurolimnas concolor) is a species ofbird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot familyRallidae.[4][5] It is found inMexico, most ofCentral America, and in nineSouth American countries.[6][7]
The uniform crake was first described in genusRallus and at various times since then placed in generaAramides andLaterallus before its presentAmaurolimnas.[3][2] It is the only member of that genus and has two extant subspecies,A. c. guatemalensis andA. c. castaneus. Thenominate subspecies, theJamaican wood rail (A. c. concolor), which wasendemic toJamaica, is extinct.[4]
The uniform crake is 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) long and weighs about 95 to 130 g (3.4 to 4.6 oz). The sexes are alike. They have a medium length yellowish green bill, a red eye, and pinkish red legs and feet.A. c. guatemalensis is the larger of the two living subspecies; it has olivaceous brown upperparts and brown underparts.A. c. castaneus is also olivaceous brown above, but has rufous brown underparts.[3]
The uniform crake has a highlydisjunct distribution. SubspeciesA. c. guatemalensis is found fromVeracruz andOaxaca in southern Mexico through Central America (exceptEl Salvador) and westernColombia into northwesternEcuador.A. c. castaneus is found in northernVenezuela,the Guianas, several separate areas ofBrazil both inland and coastal, eastern Ecuador andPeru, and locally inBolivia. It inhabits a variety of wet to almost dry landscapes including wooded swamps, flooded forest, heavily vegetated ravines and streams, and dense vegetation on the edges ofsecondary forest and cultivated areas. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[3]
The movements of the uniform crake, if any, are not known.[3]
The uniform crake mostly forages in cover, where it searches leaf litter and other detritus and digs in mud with its bill. Its diet includes earthworms, insects and spiders, small amphibians and lizards, seeds, and berries.[3]
The uniform crake's breeding season is essentially unknown; in Costa Rica it does include July. It is thought to be territorial in the breeding season. One nest in Costa Rica was in a swamp forest near a stream. It was a cup made of leaves in the top of a vine-covered stump and contained four eggs.[3]
| Songs and calls |
The uniform crake's song is a "series of 6–20 upslurred 'tooee' whistles". Pairs maintain contact with "clear, but not loud, whistled 'tooo' notes". The species' alarm call is "a sharp, nasal 'kek'".[3]
TheIUCN has assessed the uniform crake as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and an unknown population size that is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[1] Its distribution is spotty even within larger areas of its range. "Because of its secretive habits [the] species is undoubtedly overlooked, and is possibly more widely distributed than currently known, but [is] certainly adversely affected by destruction of its forest habitats."[3]
