The Bogotá rail is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to Colombia. The bird is a typical medium-sized rail with a plump body that is laterally compressed, a short tail and an elongated bill.
Region
Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in high Andean wetlands, especially marshes, oxbow ponds, and seasonally flooded meadows with dense emergent vegetation such as Typha and Scirpus. It favors mosaic habitats with tall reeds interspersed with shallow water and muddy margins. The species can use drainage ditches and rice fields where natural marsh remains nearby. Fragmentation of wetlands has confined it to remnant marsh patches across the Bogotá savanna and adjacent inter-Andean basins.
Altitude Range
2400–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Bogotá rail is a secretive wetland specialist of the Andean high plateau around Bogotá, Colombia. It skulks through dense stands of cattails and sedges, rarely flying and more often slipping between stems. Habitat loss and wetland drainage have driven significant declines, but it persists in protected marsh fragments and restored urban wetlands.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Typically found singly or in pairs, holding territories within marshes. Pairs likely form monogamous bonds and nest in dense vegetation above shallow water. Nests are cup-like platforms woven from reeds; clutches are small to moderate and both parents tend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp kek-kek series, grunts, and squeals, often given at dawn or dusk. Duets between pair members are common, carrying well across marshes.
Plumage
Slaty-gray head, throat, and underparts with olive-brown to brown upperparts; flanks boldly barred black and white. Body laterally compressed with a short tail and rounded wings typical of rails.
Diet
Feeds on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates such as insects, worms, and snails, supplemented by small amphibians and seeds. Probes mud and litter, picking prey from stems and water surfaces. Opportunistic forager that adjusts to seasonal water levels and prey availability.
Preferred Environment
Forages along muddy edges, shallow flooded margins, and within dense reedbeds. Uses floating mats and tussocks to move and feed under cover.
