First Voice Analysis and New Records of the Mysterious Speckled Rail (Coturnicops notatus)

Discovery of a new breeding population of the Vulnerable Swinhoe’s Rail Coturnicops exquisitus confirmed by genetic analysis

“…In Japan, Swinhoe’s Rail was recently observed during the breeding season (Figure 1) and identified by its calls as well (Miya et al 2005). Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the vocalisation of the closely related Speckled Rail Coturnicops notatus was also described only recently, and an increase of records of this secretive species is now expected (Dias et al 2016).…”

Speckled Rail Coturnicops notatus recorded for the first time in coastal south-east Brazil

“…The SESC Bertioga is 48 km from Itaim Paulista in the city of São Paulo (at 735 m), where a C. notatus was found in 2019, and c.100 km from Tremembé (also on the plateau, in the high part of the Paraíba do Sul Valley, 560 m). This rail has also been recorded in Rio Grande do Sul, including the coast (Maurício & Dias 1996, Dias et al 2016, Berbare et al 2017, but until now there were no records in coastal São Paulo (e.g. Olmos & Silva e Silva 2003, Willis & Oniki 2003, Silva e Silva & Olmos 2007, Simpson et al 2012; https:// ebird.org; http://www.wikiaves.com.br, http://www.xeno-canto.org).…”

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“…Speckled Rail Coturnicops notatus is widely distributed in South America, with records in south-east Colombia, western Venezuela, Guyana, northern Argentina, north Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and south and south-east Brazil. It inhabits grassy savanna, dense marshy vegetation, rice and alfalfa fields, but has also been reported in crop stubble, humid woodland edges and urban areas; in lowlands to 1,500 m (Sick 1997, Bodrati 2005, Dias et al 2016, Berbare et al 2017, Taylor 2020. In Brazil, the species has been recorded in the states of São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul (Sick 1997).…”

“…The bird made three short sequential calls when captured, and twice emitted a low, hoarse call while being banded, but the vocalisations were not recorded. Playback was made before handling, release, and postrelease, using several recordings (including those made by Dias et al 2016), but the bird did not respond. On release, it walked calmly out of the cage where it was held and disappeared into the low vegetation within a few seconds (Fig.…”