| Rail, light-footed clapper | |||
| Genus | Rallus | ||
| Species | longirostris | ||
| Subspecies | levipes | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Habitat | Salt-water marshes | ||
| Distribution | USA (California), Mexico (Baja California) | ||
| Appearance | The clapper rail is a chicken-sized bird with a gray-brown back, tawny breast, and a white patch under its short, upcocked tail. It has long legs, toes, and bill, is brown or olive in tone, and a rich cinnamon color on its chest. The wing length of an adult male is about 154.5 - 167 mm, and that of an adult female is 138-155.5 mm. The average weight of a male is 306 grams, that of a female is 248 grams. | ||
| Behavior | This rail is a strong runner and a weak flyer. Clapper pairs will defend their territory aggressively. | ||
| Diet | Striped shore crabs, purple shore crabs, fiddler crabs, beach hoppers, California hornshells, gastropods, mollusks | ||
| Feeding | Like all birds, the clapper rail will regurgitate a pellet after eating, which contains bones and shells which are hard to digest. | ||
| Breeding |
Clapper rails make their nests out of cordgrass or pickleweed, a loose arrangement of plant stems on high ground in a salt marsh. Usually they are well concealed in dense or tall vegetation. The nests are buoyant and will float with the tide.
Nesting will occur from mid-March to July 1, and egg laying occurs from early April to early May. Both the male and female will help incubate the eggs. Sometimes eggs are washed away by high tides, and nests can be destroyed by rats. Sometimes couples will raise second broods. Usually, though, at least one egg is hatched successfully. The young are able to swim on the day they hatch. | ||
| Gestation | 23 days (incubation) | ||
| No. of Young | 3-11, usually 5-9 eggs | ||
| Conservation | The light-footed clapper rail is occurring in fewer numbers because of the drainage and/or filling of the marshes where they live. Pollution with chemicals and debris have also contributed to their decline. Their reduction in populations can almost be attributed entirely to habitat loss, caused by water pollution, water diversion, and restriction of tidal flow. | ||
| Animal Communication Panel | |||
