This secretive bird lives most of its life concealed in dense vegetation. Now, The large Clapper Rail is abundant in saltwater marshes and mangrove swamps from the U.S. East Coast to Central America and the Caribbean. In fact, no Sora nests were ever found. Clapper Rail usually place their twig nests low in mangrove roots. Mean egg thickness, 262 ± 21 microns, was not different from pre-1932 museum eggs measured (N=27, mean value of 271 ± 16 microns) and was not correlated with organochlorine content. Light-footed clapper rail eggs that failed to hatch, composite samples of live shore crabs (Pachygrapsus crassipes ), and composite samples of surficial sediments ( < 5 em deep) were collected in active rail breeding territories to assess contaminant . Rail egg hatchability in north and south bay marshes was 65 percent and 70 percent respectively. There are accounts of more than 120 eggs being collected in a day by a single person. There are accounts of more than 120 eggs being collected in a day by a single person. The eggs are cream-colored with purplish spots. After just one day of care from the parents, the puffy, black nestlings are ready to leave the nest and learn the ways of their new marsh habitat. When moving across the water Clapper rails carry their chicks on backs. Calls / Vocalizations / Sounds King Rails may interbreed with Clapper Rails in the southeast (Meanley 1985); however, no egg … Now, thanks to modern game laws, eggs cannot be … Clapper rails were once abundant; however, egg collecting and market hunting in the 1800s and early 1900s reduced rail populations significantly. Both parents feed and guard the young until they are independent. Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris A raucous chock-chock-chock… or a fleeting glimpse of a gray and brown ... Clapper rails were once abundant; however, egg collecting and market hunting in the 1800s and early 1900s reduced rail populations significantly. Clapper Rail nestlings are precocial, meaning they are able to walk and feed shortly after hatching. About a week after hatching the Clapper rail pair divides their brood and each parent looks after half the offspring. In 2014, the species was split into three: Clapper Rail; Ridgway's Rail of California, Arizona, and Nevada; and Mangrove Rail of South America. The hatchlings are covered in black down and are able to leave the nests within one day. In 1992, 11 California clapper rail eggs were collected from south San Francisco Bay, California (Schwarzbach et al., 2001). Clapper rails were once abundant; however, egg collecting and market hunting in the 1800s and early 1900s reduced rail populations significantly. difficulties discerning Clapper Rail nests be-cause Sora eggs are much smaller than Clapper Rail eggs, and their nests are structurally differ-ent (Taylor 1998). Clapper rails have salt glands due to which they are able to drink seawater. Range Found along the California coastline from Santa Barbara to the California-Mexico Border and into northern Baja California, Mexico. The average clutch consists of 3 - 7 eggs. Only 45 percent of the nests successfully hatched at least one egg. There are accounts of more than 120 eggs being collected in a day by a single person. Averages 6 to 9 eggs Fledging Duration Approximately 21 days Sexual Maturity Approximately 1 year Life Span Approximately 2 to 4 years; light-footed clapper rails at SeaWorld have lived for up to 10 years. The female will lay up to 16 eggs per clutch, and the eggs hatch after 3-4 weeks of incubation. Only 69 percent of clapper rail eggs whose viability could be assessed were viable.