California+Clapper+Rail

media type="custom" key="3681037" By Ryan B

The California Clapper Rail is a large bird. It measures 32-47cm (13-19 inches) from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail. It has the appearance of a chicken. It has a long slightly downward-curving bill. Its body is brown with a reddish-brown belly. The Clapper Rail lives in the salt marshes of San Francisco, California. The Clapper Rails are more active in the morning and evenings. They perfer to roost during high tide. Even though they are birds, they perfer walking or running instead of flying or swimming. Because they in wetlands their diet consists of mussels, clams, snails, worms, and small fish. The Clapper Rails breeding season starts in February. Nesting starts in March and extends to August. They usualy have 5 to 14 eggs. Both parents take care of the eggs. The California Clapper Rail has become an endangered species. The places were it lives, the marshlands is being destroyed because of land development. This makes it easy for non-native red foxes and feral cats to catch these birds. Each year millons of these birds die due to cats. Unfortunately, the survival rate for baby Clapper Rails is less than 40%.