Clapper rail
| Clapper rail | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Rallus |
| Species: | R. crepitans
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| Binomial name | |
| Rallus crepitans JF Gmelin, 1789
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Year-round Breeding
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The clapper rail (Rallus crepitans) is a member of the rail family,
Taxonomy
The clapper rail was
The clapper rail was formerly treated as a
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Eight subspecies of the clapper rail are recognised:[10]
- R. c. crepitans Gmelin, JF, 1789 – coastal Connecticut to northeast North Carolina (USA)
- R. c. waynei Brewster, 1899 – coastal southeast USA
- R. c. saturatus Ridgway, 1880 – Gulf Coast from southwest Alabama to northeast Mexico
- R. c. scottii Sennett, 1888 – coastal Florida (USA)
- R. c. insularum Brooks, WS, 1920 – Florida Keys (USA)
- R. c. coryi Maynard, 1887 – Bahamas
- R. c. caribaeus Ridgway, 1880 – Cuba to Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles to Antigua and Guadeloupe
- R. c. pallidus Nelson, 1905 – north Yucatán Peninsula, islands off Quintana Roo (southeast Mexico), Ycacos Lagoon (Belize)
Description
The clapper rail is a chicken-sized bird that rarely flies. It is grayish brown with a pale chestnut breast. Males and females have similar plumage. The bill which curves slightly downwards is orange yellow at the base in males and duller in females. An adult bird has an overall length of 32–41 cm (13–16 in) and weighs 199–400 g (7.0–14.1 oz).[11]
Distribution and habitat
The clapper rail is found along the Atlantic coasts of the
Behaviour
Feeding
These birds eat crustaceans, aquatic insects, and small fish. They search for food while walking, sometimes probing with their long bills, in shallow water or mud.[11]
Breeding
The nest is a large platform of dry grasses and is usually placed on the ground in dense vegetation. The clutch size varies between 4 and 16 eggs with an average of 9. The eggs measure 42.5 mm × 30 mm (1.67 in × 1.18 in) and are creamy white with irregular blotches of reddish-brown, grey or lilac. They are incubated for 20 days by both parents with the male incubating at night. The young are brooded by the adults for several days. They become independent of the adults when 6 weeks old and can fly when 10 weeks old.[11]
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 713.
- ^ Pennant, Thomas (1785). Arctic Zoology. Vol. 2. London, United Kingdom: Printed by Henry Hughs. p. 407; Plate 20.
- ^ Latham, John (1785). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 3, Part 1. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 229, No. 2.
- ^ a b Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 157.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 153.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ .
- .
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2022). "Flufftails, finfoots, rails, trumpeters, cranes, limpkin". IOC World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Rush, S.A.; Gaines, K.F.; Eddleman, W.R.; Conway, C.J. (2020). Rodewald, P.G. (ed.). "Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans), version 1.0". Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- .