The IOC treats the Ecuadorian rail as a separate species with two subspecies, the nominate R. a. aequatorialis and R. a. meyerdeschauenseei.

Adults have a long, slightly decurved, bill that is reddish brown with a bright orange base.

[7] The Ecuadorian rail mostly forages in vegetation but sometimes ventures slightly into more open areas early in the morning.

That species has an eclectic diet that includes adult and larval aquatic invertebrates of many kinds, amphibians, and plant material.

[7] As of late 2022, xeno-canto had no recordings of Ecuadorian rail vocalizations and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had 10.