The Chestnut Rail is a large, ground-dwelling rail of mangroves that eats crabs. Different plumage forms have been reported in northern Australia.
It is about 44–52 cm long, with predominantly chestnut plumage, a gray head, a light-gray chin patch, red eyes, and a long yellow-green bill. The Northern Territory form is all chestnut, while birds on the Kimberley coast of Western Australia have an olive-gray back.
It is ground-dwelling, prefers mangroves, and eats crabs. It has also been recorded along rivers and estuaries.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.