General

Clapper Rail: Large, noisy marsh bird with gray or brown upperparts, vertical white-barred flanks and belly, and buff or rust-brown breast. Bill is long and slightly decurved. Eastern population has buff underparts. Gulf coast and western populations have rust-brown underparts. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is more uniformly colored.

Range and Habitat

Clapper Rail: Breeds along Atlantic, Gulf, and California coasts; spends winters north to central California and New Jersey. Preferred habitats include coastal saltwater marshes.

Breeding and Nesting

Clapper Rail: Five to twelve brown marked, buff to olive eggs are laid in a nest made of rushes, sedges, and cord grass, and hidden in tall vegetation. Incubation ranges from 20 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Clapper Rail: Feeds mainly on crayfish, small crabs, small fish, frogs, slugs, snails, insects, and seeds; forages on the ground and while wading in shallow water.

Vocalization

Clapper Rail: Produces a variety of calls, from a "he-e-eh-heh-heh-heh" to a raucous "chack-chack-chack." Call is always loud and clattering in series of 20 to 25 notes, lowering in pitch and increasing in tempo. Females give a "purr" call.

Similar Species

Clapper Rail: King Rail is slightly larger, prefers freshwater marshes, and has red-brown head, neck and underparts, and more sharply defined bars on flanks. Virginia Rail is smaller with distinctive gray cheeks and chestnut-brown back. Juvenile resembles adult Black Rail, which has pale eyes, spots on back, and bars on flanks.