Juveniles have slightly duller coloring. The grey-necked wood rail is very vocal . They are normally timid, hiding out in dense cover, sometimes emerging to forage in streams and short grass. The grey-necked wood rail is omnivorous, feeding on crabs, mollusks, insects, frogs and also seeds and fruits. At the zoo they are fed a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as a nutritionally balanced dry food.
Nests are a deep bowl of twigs and dried weed stems, usually placed in bushes or low trees.
Clutches usually consist of 3 to 7 eggs that hatch in 20 to 25 days. Both parents play an equal role in incubation.