Clapper Rail

A clattering cackle in the salt marsh is often our first clue to the presence of this big Rail. The Clapper Rail is usually hidden in dense cover, but sometimes we see it stalking boldly along the muddy edge of the marsh, twitching its short tail as it walks, or swimming across a tidal creek. Historically it was abundant on the Atlantic Coast, but now much more localized, as coastal marsh has been broken up by development.

About Clapper Rails

They are abundant throughout saltwater marshes and mangrove swamps and are very secretive as they spend much of their lives concealed in dense vegetation. Due to their coastal habitats, they have some evolutionary perks that help them in thriving in these ecosystems. One such characteristic is that these birds have special salt glands that enable them to drink seawater. They can submerge the egg in up to 18 inches of water during high tide and still hatch safely.

These birds are as exciting as they are mysterious, with the few concrete facts that come into light having enough power to entrance birding communities. They are endlessly fascinating, and today we want to share some of the most interesting things about these waterbirds with you. We will be covering:

● Clapper Rail Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Clapper Rail Size, Eating Behavior, Habitat
● Clapper Rail Range and Migration, Nesting

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Clapper Rail Color Pattern

Clapper Rails are large waterbirds that have grayish brown to dull cinnamon-colored bodies. Adults of both sexes look alike in plumage, but males tend to be slightly larger than females. The base and sides of the bill are orangish-yellow to bright orange in males but are duller in females. The coloration of adults may also vary from grayish brown to pale
cinnamon-brown depending on the region. The feathers of the back have blackish or dusky centers of varying width, with flanks marked with alternate white and dusky to dull black bars. These birds are sometimes difficult to distinguish from King Rails but are generally a more pale gray than the rufous King Rail. However, studies have shown that populations in Florida bear more resemblance to the related Rails
than the birds in the other regions of their range.

Juveniles also have varying plumages, ranging from very dull gray to dark gray. They have blackish flanks that have streaks, and blackish sides that make way for their indistinct under tail coverts. They have a paler bill and appear to be much darker when compared to the adults, making them difficult to identify alongside the young of King Rails and Virginia Rails.

Description and Identification

Listening for Clapper Rail calls is a good first step in finding them, with their calls often carried with the wind at the windy coasts. However, the best chances of spotting them are during calm and dry weather. These birds often call at night. Look for swampy or marshy regions around the coasts where there are sufficient amounts of vegetation that provide a cover. You can study the edges of the vegetation, trace their calls to the surrounding area, and catch one as it comes into view. It requires patience and a lot of time, as these birds are extremely elusive and tend to avoid all sorts of threats.

Clapper Rail Song

These birds have a large collection of vocalizations, with many being subtle and rarely ever heard. Most advertising and territorial vocalizations are based on 1 note, with three sound types derived from the base note. These include “kek”, Clapper, and “burr”. Differences between the calls are generally based on the variations in intensity, duration, length of intervals between notes, and pitch. The primary advertising call of males is the “kek”, and it is the simplest of all vocalizations. They generally repeat it multiple times, making it sound like “kek kek kek, kik kik kik”, or “bup bup bup”. This is frequently confused with other waterbirds.

The primary vocalization given by paired birds during the breeding seasons is clapper vocalization. It consists of rapidly repeated “chock chock chock chock chock chock chock chock”, “cac cac cac” series, or a much slower jupe jupe jupe. These calls also vary in pitch and speed. Sometimes, it is a duet between the pair, but it’s ususally a single member of the pair that sings it.

Females sing a “kek burr” sound, which has a trill and is a descending series of 2–6 notes. It is composed of a drawn-out “kek” before being followed by a trilled “brrr”. The “brrr” may sometimes be sung without the introductory note. Members of both the pair also emit purr sounds during the nesting season, sometimes resembling the purr of a cat.

Both sexes sing the alarm calls in different contexts and they generally sound like a “jeer-kek, gip gip gip”, or “gup gup gup”. It is a rather high-pitch. The chase squeal “kak” resembles the squawk of a chicken and is by birds that are in a territorial dispute. Other vocalizations include a constant rack vocalization, where “rack-k-k rack-k-k” is repeated constantly when under extreme stress. Six-week-old chicks are also capable of producing a soft chitty chitty chitty sound when they are near parents, with a fledged young fully capable of making adult call notes.

Clapper Rail Size

Clapper Rails are medium-size, chicken-like marsh birds that are about 12.6–16.1 inches in body length. They weigh about 9.2–14.1 ounces, having a compact body with strong legs and a short tail. They have rounded wings and a slightly decurved bill that points downwards. On average, males are at least 20% larger than females. Juveniles also have a pied bill before they fully molt.

Clapper Rail Behavior

Clapper Rails live most of their lives on the ground, concealed amid dense vegetation. They occasionally climb into tall vegetation to investigate a sound or call of another animal. They rarely fly, instead they walk in an often irregular path with neck outstretched, and tail erect, jerking up and down if agitated. Birds may run in response to a threat, holding the tail and head straight out and body horizontal. These birds spend much of their time foraging for prey, which they capture by gleaning from the surface or from shallow probes with their bills into the substrate.

Clapper Rails are territorial during nesting season, but may form loose colonies, though this is less because they are social, and more because habitat availability and high water levels concentrate individuals onto higher ground. Birds respond to alarm calls and behaviors of other species. They swim well and will dive into the water if threatened. Clapper Rails are monogamous during the breeding season. Pairs work together to raise the young. Adults may use a “broken wing” display to lead predators away from nests. They may compete directly with gulls for nest sites.

Clapper Rail Diet

Clapper Rails are opportunistic and omnivorous, eating whatever is available including crabs, crustaceans, fish, eggs, and plant matter. Fiddler crabs are a favorite item if they can find them. They eat vegetation and seeds more often in the winter than in the summer. Clapper Rails forage while hidden in vegetation, or along the edges between marshes and mudflats. They find prey by sight and possibly by smell, usually grabbing food items from the surface or making shallow probes into the ground. Clapper Rails swallow their prey whole, and ellets of indigestible material like clamshells which they later regurgitate. They sometimes wash debris from clams before eating.

Clapper Rail Habitat

Clapper Rails live in saltmarshes with extensive vegetation, which they use as refuges, especially at high tide. These birds prefer low portions of coastal wetlands dominated by cordgrass (spartina), pickleweed, mangroves, and other vegetation. They rarely venture towards brackish wetlands, but sometimes can be found in them if they are adjacent to saltmarshes. They are also found in shallow mangrove swamps.

Range and Migration

These birds are found along the Atlantic coasts of the eastern side of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Mexico, and some Caribbean Island, along with regions south along with eastern Central America. They are mostly permanent residents of their breeding habitats, but birds that breed at the northern-most parts of their range around New York and Ontario travel to coasts further down south to escape the harsh weather.

Clapper Rail Lifecycle

These birds can have 1–2 broods in a year, with each brood having a clutch size of 2–16 creamy white to buff eggs. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs for about 20–23 days, with the young ones emerging fully covered in down and leaving the nest within a day of hatching. Parents may brood the young in a separate nest from the one in which the eggs hatched. The young ones are able to fly after another 9–10 weeks.

Nesting

Nest site selection involves a compromise between sites at higher elevations to avoid flooding, and sites at a lower elevation with denser cover and tall grasses, to remain hidden from predators. Nests are placed in clumps of vegetation or in shrubs, from just above ground level to about 4 feet off the ground. Sites with diverse vegetation are generally preferred.

Males do most of the nest building and may continue to add to the nest after the female has started incubating eggs. Nests are bulky platforms of marsh vegetation and are tall to protect them from tidal flooding and camouflaged to keep them concealed. Nests may have domes to help keep them hidden, and ramps to enable entry and exit in habitats with high or fluctuating water levels. The outside of the nest is 7–14 inches in diameter, with an inside cup 5–6 inches across and 1.5–3 inches deep. Domes are 6-8.5 inches higher than the rim of the nest. The male may add material during periods of high water. Both sexes incubate the eggs, usually the female during the day and the male at night, and raise the young. Pairs may renest up to 5 times after the failure of previous nests, mainly due to predators.

Anatomy of a Clapper Rail

Clapper Rails are medium-sized, chicken-like marsh birds that are about 12.6–16.1 inches in body length. They weigh about 9.2–14.1 ounces, having a compact body with strong legs and a short tail. They have rounded wings and a slightly decurved bill that points downwards. On average, males are at least 20% larger than females. Juveniles also have a pied bill before they fully molt.

Final Thoughts

Clapper Rails are abundant but secretive, so it is hard to estimate their population trends with long-term surveys. The North American Breeding Bird Survey suggests numbers declined between 1966 and 2015, but there’s not enough data to be certain of the trend. Clapper Rails are threatened by habitat development and degradation, and high tides associated with storms. Sand deposition from storms may destroy marsh grasses, and this can affect Clapper Rail populations. Land development that alters vegetation, water levels or salinity can cause local population declines. Toxic materials settle in coastal wetlands, and this might compromise Clapper Rails. They are listed as game birds in all coastal eastern states from Rhode Island to Texas, except New York. It is unclear whether hunting pressure causes declines in populations.

These birds are useful in gauging the health of habitats in estuaries. They are vital in preserving the fragile ecosystems of marshy lands and are generally fascinating to learn about. While the lack of workable data hinders conservation efforts, it should not stop us from trying to preserve these wonderful shorebirds either way. Who knows, may someday they might lead to some breakthroughs!

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingClapper Rails

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Clapper Rails are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Clapper Rail Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Clapper Rail. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Clapper Rails

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesFor Clapper Rails

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.