This rail is recorded from southern Colombia through Ecuador and coastal Peru. It hides in dense grass and reeds and is found alone or in well-separated pairs.
It is about 20 cm long, with a long reddish-brown bill that is orange at the base. The head and neck are blue gray, the back brown, and the cinnamon-toned flanks barred black and white.
It lives in highland marshes, reedbeds, and wet grassland. It usually stays in dense cover but may feed in open areas early in the morning.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.