unknown
unknown
Subspecies Endangered
In the mid 19th Century, John James Audubon reported this rail as "exceedingly abundant." In recent times, total population numbers have been impossible to calculate, but nowhere is it "exceedingly abundant." Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) and Christmas Bird Counts are not well-designed for counting secretive marsh birds. Between 1966 and 2006, these surveys show little to no increase in populations, but the BBS indicates that its data are not statistically significant.
The 3 Endangered subspecies have been tracked more closely and specifically. In California, 277 pairs of the Light-footed Clapper Rail were estimated in 1984. By 1990, the total population was estimated at 380 pairs, including the Mexican population. In 2007, the total population is believed to be fewer than 1,000.
Once common, the California Clapper Rail has not recovered its numbers since market hunting in the late 19th Century. In the mid-1970's, about 5,000 California Clapper Rails resided around San Francisco Bay. By the mid-1980's that number had dwindled to about 1,000 and continued to fall to less than 400 individuals in 1992. In 2007, the total population is believed to be fewer than 1,000.
In the U.S., numbers of Yuma Clapper Rails have fluctuated between 503 and 885, from 1996 to 2005. In Mexico, the estimated population dropped from 6,300 in 1999 to 4,850 in 2003.
The Clapper Rail suffers from ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, increased predation caused by human activities, and the invasion of its habitat by exotic plant species. Between 1780 and 1980, states that host the Clapper Rail have lost between 30 and 91% of their total wetlands. Some coastal marshes have suffered severely. The San Francisco Bay area has lost over 90% of its original 193,800 acres of tidal marshes, the only remaining habitat for the Endangered California Clapper Rail. In 2006, the U.S. Department of the Interior reported a loss of over 28,000 acres of the country's intertidal wetlands between 1998 and 2004. Agriculture, mosquito control, housing development, recreation, and increased fresh water runoff laden with pollutants and silt destroy, degrade, and fragment our salt marshes. Habitat fragments may support rails but they also expose them to more predators and offer less food.
The Endangered Clapper Rail subspecies have recovery plans, produced in the 1970's and 1980's, which need updating.
Specific conservation actions have benefited the California Clapper Rail, including the creation of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including over 40,000 acres of marshland. On the refuge, Blair Island is now being restored. Between 2004 and 2007, over 15,000 pounds of invasive plants and 3,000 pounds of garbage have been hauled out this section. Restored marshes in which the rails can forage need to be large, globular (not narrow), surrounded by a thick transitional border, close to other marshes, and fed by many tidal channels,.
In 2006, the 5 Year Review for the Yuma Clapper Rail noted that little has been done to increase its population, but that its needs are better understood. The review calls for water level management to protect existing wetlands in the Lower Colorado River Valley, the restoration and creation of marshes, and a reliable water flow from the United States into Mexico to sustain the marshes at Cienega de Santa Clara.
Little has been done for the Endangered Light-footed Clapper Rail or for the eastern populations.
Look for the Clapper Rail in late summer or early fall in the coastal marshes. A boardwalk at a state park or wildlife refuge can offer the best viewing, especially at high or extremely low tide.
Support the Endangered Species Act and the designation of Critical Habitat for Endangered species. Listing under the Endangered Species Act made it possible to learn critical information about the biology of the Yuma Clapper Rail. Audubon continues to work to ensure that this vital legislation protects our publicly-owned wildlife resources. Learn of the latest news about the Endangered Species Act and how you can help at
Audubon's Issues & Action web pages. Join the effort to restore North America's wetlands. Organizations like
Save the Bay in San Francisco have a history of successful restoration and community activism. They need volunteers to clean, replant, and monitor wetlands.
Find out about
actions you can take including Audubon programs and activities.
Learn more about other species protected under the
Endangered Species Act.
Learn more about this species and other birds through
these resources.
Albertson, J. 1998.
Restoring salt marsh habitat for the recovery of California clapper rails. Tidelines. U. S. fish and Wildlife Service. Don Edwards San Franciso Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Newark, CA. Accessed 7 September 2007.
Dahl, T. E. 2006.
Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 1998 to 2004. U. S. Department of the Interior; Fish and Wildlife Service, Washinton, D. C. 112 pp.
Eddleman, W. R., and C. J. Conway. 1998. Clapper Rail (
Rallus longirostris). In
The Birds of North America, No. 340 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
MANEM Waterbird Working Group.
Waterbird Conservation Plan for the Mid-Atlantic/New England/Maritimes Region: 2006-2010. December 2006. Waterbird conservation for the Americas. Accessed 5 September 2007.
NatureServe. 2007.
Clapper Rail. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life. Version 6.2. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Accessed: September 5, 2007.
Fitzpatrick, Lesley.
Yuma Clapper Rail 5-Year Review – 2006. Notice 70 FR 5460-5463. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Regional Office. Accessed 5 September 2007.
