Subject: Gray-necked Wood-rail photographed at dawn, Aramides cajanea

Location: Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cuero y Salado, departamento Atlántida, Honduras

Stock Number: 09-24209

Comments: In identifying this species, look for a yellow to greenish-yellow bill, and magenta legs. The head and neck are gray, often appearing lavender in the light of dawn and dusk. The breast and upper belly are a medium shade of brown.

Often secretive, these birds may come out at dawn to feed at the muddy margins of rivers or ponds. They sometimes wade, risking the attack of a crocodilian.

The calls of the Gray-necked Wood-rail are loud and often delivered as part of an alternating duet or larger chorus. Ridgely and Greenfield in The Birds of Ecuador comment, "During vigorous singing bouts, the birds sometimes sound truly maniacal."