Bogota Rail

The Bogotá rail (Rallus semiplumbeus) 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 ("skinny as a rail"), a short tail and an elongated bill. == Taxonomy and systematics == The Bogotá rail was first described in 1856 by the American ornithologist Philip Sclater, based on a specimen sent to him by the French collectors Jules and Édouard Verreaux. The generic name Rallus is thought to derive from the name for these birds in French (Rale) or German (ralle). The specific epithet semiplumbeus comes from the Latin plumbum (lead), suggesting that the bird is somewhat the color of lead. The Bogotá rail has two known subspecies: R. s. semiplumbeus (Sclater, 1856) R. s. peruvianus (Taczanowski, 1886) R. s. peruvianus is known from a single specimen thought to have been collected in Peru; it is now considered to be extinct. Some authors have suggested that it represents a distinct species. The taxonomic relationships among the Rallidae species are complex and not fully resolved, but phylogenetic analysis has determined that this species is one…