cocobolo vs Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

Dalbergia granadillo compared with Aramides cajanea

Key Differences

• cocobolo is Critically Endangered while Gray-cowled Wood-Rail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cocobolo	Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Gruiformes (Gruiformes)
Family	Fabaceae	Rallidae
Genus	Dalbergia	Aramides
Species	Dalbergia granadillo	Aramides cajanea

Conservation Status

cocobolo

CR — Critically Endangered

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	cocobolo	Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

cocobolo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

cocobolo

Cocobolo (Dalbergia granadillo) is a medium to large tropical hardwood tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the dry and moist forests of Pacific Mexico and Central America, from Jalisco and Colima south through Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas into Guatemala and Honduras. The species is one of the most prized commercial rosewoods in the world, producing exceptionally dense, fine-grained heartwood in rich tones of red, orange, and brown with contrasting darker grain lines; this wood is used in high-end guitar fingerboards, knife handles, turning, and decorative woodwork. Unfortunately, this commercial value has driven intense illegal logging across much of its range, leading the IUCN to classify Dalbergia granadillo as Critically Endangered — the highest threat category short of extinction in the wild. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II, requiring documentation of sustainable harvest for international trade. Remaining populations are heavily fragmented in degraded and secondary forest, with mature trees of commercial size increasingly scarce. The slow growth rate of the species means that recovery of logged populations takes decades. Conservation initiatives include reforestation programmes, strengthening of enforcement against illegal logging, community-based forestry schemes, and research into propagation for plantation production as an alternative to wild harvest. Without effective action, Dalbergia granadillo faces continued population decline and potential extirpation from parts of its natural range.

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (Aramides cajanea) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.