GIANT WOOD-RAIL Aramides ypecaha
The "Big Daddy" of the Wood-Rails and the one that is most often encountered by visitors to Paraguay. It is common in the Chaco, often seen in the open on pools at the sides of the Ruta Trans-Chaco (and sometimes in the road itself!). Like other Wood-Rails it possesses a calamitously loud voice, producing an ear-splitting chorus when going to roost - the call roughly resembling OO-PEE-KA-HA, the Guaraní name that was adopted for its scientific name.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE2012PH) Adult lateral view, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Jerry Cooper October 2008).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE2021PH) Adult, Campo Maria Private Reserve, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2010).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE2013PH) Adult lateral view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE2014PH) Adult ventral view, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE2015PH) Adult foraging, location unknown (Arne Lesterhuis undated).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE2016PH) Adult, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Hans Hostettler camera trap undated).
FIGURE 7 - (FPAVE4147PH) Juvenile, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith February 2015).
VIDEO A - (FPAVE2017VI) Adult, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2006).
VIDEO B - (FPAVE2018VI) Adult foraging, Campo Maria Private Reserve, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2010).
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Aramides ypecaha
1 (FPAVE2019RE) call  recorded Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith October 2007).
2 (FPAVE2020RE) call  recorded Estancia 11 de Junio, Departamento Alto Paraguay (Myriam Velázquez April 2000).
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Myriam Velázquez, Jerry Cooper, Frank Fragano, Arne Lesterhuis and Hans Hostettler and is used with their permission.