Spot-flanked Gallinule vs African Rail

Porphyriops melanops compared with Rallus caerulescens

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Spot-flanked Gallinule African Rail
Scientific Name Porphyriops melanops Rallus caerulescens
Order Gruiformes Gruiformes
Family Rallidae Rallidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 25.0 cm (9.8 in) 23.8 cm (9.4 in)
Weight 189.5 g (6.68 oz) 160.25 g (5.65 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 4-8 2-6
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Spot-flanked Gallinule only

None

African Rail only

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Spot-flanked Gallinule

Least Concern

African Rail

About These Birds

Spot-flanked Gallinule

Spot-flanked Gallinule (Porphyriops melanops) is a small 22–25 cm rail of southern South America's marshes and reed-beds. Dark olive-brown above with white-spotted flanks, grey face, and short red-tipped yellow bill. Frequents still or slow-moving freshwater wetlands in Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Chile.

African Rail

African Rail (Rallus caerulescens), 28 cm. Brown above with dark streaks; blue-grey underparts; barred white flanks; red bill and legs. Found in freshwater reedbeds and swamp margins across sub-Saharan Africa. Omnivore. Least Concern; common in wetland habitat.

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