Clapper Rail

Clapper Rail is shy and secretive like the other members of its family. It rarely ventures far from deep cover in tall grass or reeds and is only infrequently seen out in the open. It prefers salt water marshes, while the similar King Rail prefers fresh water. As of July, 2014, the species formerly known as Clapper Rail is split into three separate species. The one retaining the name Clapper Rail is now Rallus crepitans. The other two are Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus) found in California, Nevada, and Arizona, and Mangrove Rail, found in South America and retaining the old scientific name Rallus longirostris.