California
Rallus longirostris yumanensis   photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - sketch: California Department of Fish and Game | |
| Type of Animal: | Birds |
|---|---|
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Federal Status: | Endangered |
| State Status: | Threatened |
| Occurrence: | |
| Habitat: | Marshes |
| Description: | The Clapper Rail is largely a coastal species, but this one subspecies, the Yuma Clapper Rail, does occur inland in the southwestern United States. The Yuma clapper rail is a large bird, about the size of a grouse. the largest rail in western North America. Although it is superficially similar to the more numerous Virginia Rail (R. limicola) in having a long neck and a long, orange-toned, decurved bill, it differs from that species in being grayer in overall plumage and in being substantially larger. The Yuma Clapper Rail differs from the Light-footed Clapper Rail in being less richly-colored in plumage (it is paler, with more olive and gray tones) and in having a more slender bill (Dickey, 1923). The Clapper Rail gives a loud, sharp call consisting of a series of "kek" or "clack" notes that are strung together in a cackling fashion. Their calls have an odd ventriloqual quality, and calls of single birds often sound as if multiple birds are calling (Grinnell et al., 1918). The distinctive "kek kek kek" call of 10 or more notes is generally heard at daybreak or sunset. Yuma Clapper Rails breed from March through July. They build their nest on a platform of vegetation raised 3-6 inches above the ground and concealed in dense marsh vegetation (Grinnell et al., 1918). Like most rails, this species lays a remarkably variable number of eggs: the typical clutch size is 8-10 eggs, but clutches can range from 5-14 eggs (Bent, 1926). This subspecies is partially migratory, with many birds wintering in brackish marshes along the Gulf of California (Banks and Tomlinson, 1974). Some remain on their breeding grounds throughout the year; for example, the Salton Sea (south) Christmas Bird Count frequently records this species in the fresh-water marshes in and around the Imperial Wildlife Area (Wister Unit). The Clapper Rail is generally associated with tidal marshes; however, the Yuma Clapper Rail is unique among the Clapper Rails in being the only one that occupies fresh-water marshes during the breeding seasons yet largely winters in brackish marshes south of the United States (Anderson and Ohmart, 1985). The Yuma clapper rail was listed as endangered in 1966 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, mostly due to the loss of its marsh habitat. |
| Effort: | |
| References: | |
| Other Sites: | Species account prepared for BLM California. (PDF file, 15 kilobytes) |
| Field Office(s): | Barstow; Palm Springs |