STATES/COUNTIES 



California: Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, 

 Ventura. 



HABITAT 



The light-footed clapper rail is found in salt- 

 water marshes traversed by tidal sloughs, where 

 cordgrass {Spartina foliosa) and pickleweed {Salt- 

 cornia) are the conspicuous plants. One nesting is 

 recorded for an inland marsh grown to reeds in 

 Los Angeles Co. (Willett 1906). In Tijuana Estuary, 

 22 of 34 nests were built in cordgrass. Nest den- 

 sity is greater in tall cordgrass (0.52 nests per ha. 

 of habitat). Generally speaking, the highest den- 

 sities of rails appear to be in those marshes with 

 the most cordgrass Qorgensen 1975). Clapper 

 rails require a healthy tidal salt marsh environment 

 with cordgrass or pickleweed for nesting and es- 

 cape cover; abundant food in the form of crabs, 

 clams and related invertebrates; and tidal flats 

 interspersed with saltmarsh vegetation as a feed- 

 ing area. These conditions prevail in coastal salt 

 marshes that have a tidal prism adequate to pre- 

 serve a normal salinity range and prevent stagna- 

 tion. If suitable physical environment is available, 

 other factors seem to have little influence. Preda- 

 tion by other animals is seldom a limiting factor, 

 and raUs seem to tolerate a high level of human 

 occupancy of their habitat provided such use does 

 not result in habitat degradation or loss of birds 

 (Recovery Team 1977). 



FOOD AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR 



Striped shore crabs (Pachygrapsus crassipes) 

 and purple shore crabs [Hemigrapsiis oregonensis) 

 are regularly eaten by the clapper rail. Remains 

 found in pellets cast by rails incorporated fiddler 

 crab [Uca crenulata), beach hopper [Orchestoidea 

 sp.), California hornshell [Certhidea californica), 

 and a gastropod [Melampus olivaceus). Probably 

 (like other clapper rails) the light-footed clapper 

 rail eats various bivalve molluscs such as clams 

 of the genus Macoma (Jorgensen 1975). 



SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Dense growth of either pickleweed or cord- 

 grass for nesting and escape cover (Recovery Team) 

 is required by the clapper rail. 



NESTING OR BEDDING 



The clapper rail's nest is a loose arrangement 

 of plant stems on high ground in a salt marsh, 

 well concealed in dense or tall vegetation, usually 

 Spartina. One nest measured 28 by 18 cm on the 

 outside, with a cavity 13 cm across and 1.3 cm 

 deep (Bent 1926, Edwards 1922). Nests 

 are also frequently placed in cordgrass (Spartina). 

 Those in Spartina most often are placed directly 

 on the ground, while those in cordgrass are ele- 

 eated 10 to 45 cm. Nests are constructed of what- 

 ever vegetation is available at the site and are 

 placed so as to be well concealed. The nests are 

 bouyant and will float with the tide Qorgensen 

 1975). 



RITUAL REQUIREMENTS 



Probably pairs are spaced by aggressive terri- 

 torial defense as in other subspecies of clapper 

 rails. 



OTHER CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL 

 REQUIREMENTS 



None other than those mentioned elsewhere. 



POPULATION NUMBERS AND TRENDS 



Estimates now indicate a total population of 

 about 250 birds on the basis of work in Santa 

 Barbara and Ventura counties (V. Basham, un- 

 published), at Anaheim Bay (B. Massey, C. Collins, 

 J. Lindell), and at Tijuana Estuary Qorgensen 

 1975). Tot£il population estimates are distributed 

 as follows: Santa Barbara County, Carpinteria, 

 10; Orange County, Anaheim Bay, 40-50; Upper 

 Newrport Bay 40-50; San Diego County, Los 

 Penasquitos Lagoon 5, Mission Bay 8, San Diego 

 River 5, San Diego Bay area 40-50, Tijuana Estu- 

 ary 75-85; Baja California (occur but population 

 size undetermined)* Bahia de Todos Santos, La 

 Mision and La Salina may have rails also (Recovery 

 Team 1977). 



REPRODUCTION 



The young of the clapper raU are able to swim 

 on the day of hatching. 



Nesting occurs from mid-March to 1 July, 

 with extreme dates for complete clutches 18 

 March to 31 July. Egg dates (56 records) are from 

 18 March to 11 June (Bent 1926). 



