A medium-sized rail of montane forests. Chestnut body and tail with dark wings. The male Forbes’s is distinctive, having a plain wing whereas the female has buff spots. Similar to Chestnut Forest-Rail but Forbes’s Rail usually occurs lower, and the female has barred rear flanks instead of pale spots and buffy rather than whiteish spots. Voice, similar quacking to White-striped Forest-Rail and also a hoarse and accelerating “wokwokwokwokwok…..” reminiscent of Blue-bearded Bee-eater.