photo by Phil Swanson

Rallus longirostris
L 14 1/2″(37 cm).

Song or calls:
Listen (NGPC audio)

Loud “kik-kik-kik-kik,” accelerating then slowing.

Description: Sexes similar. Grayish-brown back, back feathers with gray edges. Tawny breast and barred flanks. Long legs, and long slightly decurved bill.

Habitat: Salt marshes with heavy cover, and locally in fresh or brackish marshes.

Where in Nebraska: Accidental. Single specimen resulting from a bird captured in a trap during 1951 in Logan County, Nebraska.

Status: Subspecies California Clapper Rail, Light-footed Clapper Rail, and Yuma Clapper Rail are endangered.

Fun Facts: A group of Clapper Rails is called an “applause”, “audience”, and a “commercial” of rails.