Clapper Rail Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Clapper Rails are chickenlike marsh birds with stout bills and stubby tails. They are noticeably larger than similarly shaped Virginia Rails. Clapper Rails look thin when viewed head-on, as if they have been squeezed together from the sides. This “lateral compression” helps them navigate smoothly through the dense vegetation they inhabit.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Virginia Rail, smaller than an American Coot.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
• Color Pattern

  Clapper Rails have a gray face; light-colored head, neck, and breast; a darker back; and barred sides and belly. Underparts vary from gray to dull cinnamon. The bill is orange, while legs are light yellow or pink (when not covered with mud).

• Behavior

  Clapper Rails spend most of their time in dense vegetation, making them difficult to see. They typically walk or run, seldom flying except during migration. Clapper Rails are very vocal, making loud, chortling “clapper” calls. Pair members give the clapper call individually or as part of a synchronized duet; one pair’s duet can lead to a cascade of duets from other pairs in an area.

• Habitat

  Clapper Rails are coastal birds, strongly tied to shallow saltwater habitats. They are one of the characteristic birds of saltmarshes stretching from the Atlantic Coast of New England to the Gulf Coast of northeastern Mexico. They also occur in coastal mangrove swamps.