Clapper Rails: Species and Ranges

The western subspecies are endangered mostly due to destruction of their coastal habitat.

The eastern forms are still quite common and their populations appear to be stable; however, their numbers appear to be in decline as well largely due to habitat destruction.

• Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris longirostris – Boddaert, 1783) – Nominate Race
  • Range: South America: Along the coasts of Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana.
• California or San Francisco Bay Clapper Rail, Western Rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus – Ridgway, 1874)
  • Sometimes lumped together with the King Rail (Rallus elegans)Range: USA: Central California, with highest concentrations in the San Francisco Bay, where 1,000 to 1,500 birds are found and a small group occurs along the Colorado River.
• Rallus longirostris levipes – Bangs, 1899
  • Sometimes lumped together with the King Rail (Rallus elegans)Range: USA / Mexico: Coastal central California south to northern Baja California.
• San Blas, Sonora or Yuma Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris yumanensis – Dickey, 1923)
  • Sometimes lumped together with the King Rail (Rallus elegans)Range:USA / Mexico: Southeastern California, southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
• 
  Belding’s or South Baja Clapper Rail, Belding’s Rail(Rallus longirostris beldingi – Ridgway, 1882)
  • Range: Southern Baja California.
    • [Magdalena Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris magdalenae – van Rossem, 1947] – subspecies usually considered invalid
      • Sometimes lumped together with the King Rail (Rallus elegans)
      • Range: USA / Mexico: Tidal lagoons of the Pacific coast of Baja California – from Magdalena Bay north to Seammon Lagoon. Probably to San Quintin Bay (Ref. Proceedings of Biological Society of Washington, May 10, 1947)
• Northern Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris crepitans – Gmelin, 1789)
  • Range: USA: Coastal Connecticut to northeastern North Carolina.
• Wayne’s Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris waynei – Brewster, 1899)
  • Range: USA: Coastal southeastern North Carolina to eastern Florida.
• Louisiana Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris saturatus – Ridgway, 1880)
  • Range: USA / Mexico: Gulf coast from southwestern Alabama to extreme northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas).
• Yucatan Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris pallidus – Nelson, 1905)
  • Range: Mexico: Southeastern Mexico along coastal Yucatán
• Rallus longirostris grossi – Paynter, 1950
  • Range: Mexico: Southeastern Mexico: Quintana Roo
• Honduras Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris belizensis – Oberholser, 1937)
  • Range: Belize: Punta Ycacos Lagoon
• Florida of Gulf Coast Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris scotti – Sennett, 1888) –
  • Range: USA: Coastal Florida
• Brooks’s or Mangrove Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris insularum – W. S. Brooks, 1920)
  • Range: USA: Florida Keys
• Bahama Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris coryi – Maynard, 1887)
  • Range: Bahamas north of Cuba
• Isle of Pines Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris leucophaeus – Todd, 1913)
  • Cuba: Isla de la Juventud (“Isle of Youth”) formerly known as the Isle of Pines
• Antiguan, Antillean, Caribbean, Cuban, Hispaniolan or Puerto Rican Clapper Rail(Rallus longirostris caribaeus – Ridgway, 1880)
  • Range: Cuba to Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles east to Antigua, also Guadeloupe.
    • [Rallus longirostris manglecola – Danforth, 1934] – subspecies usually considered invalid [Rallus longirostris limnetis – Oberholser, 1937] – subspecies usually considered invalid
• Rallus longirostris cypereti – Taczanowski, 1877
  • Range: South America – along the coasts from extreme southwestern Colombia (Nariño) through Ecuador to extreme northwestern Peru (Tumbes).
• Rallus longirostris phelpsi – Wetmore, 1941
  • Range: South America – extreme northeastern Colombia and extreme northwestern Venezuela.
    • [Rallus longirostris dillonripleyi – Phelps and Aveledo, 1987] – subspecies usually considered invalid
• Rallus longirostris margaritae – Zimmer and Phelps, 1944
  • Caribbean Sea: Margarita Island (Isla de Margarita)
• Rallus longirostris pelodramus – Oberholser, 1937
  • Range: Trinidad – the southernmost island in the CaribbeanID: Plumage is more heavily marked with black above.
• Rallus longirostris crassirostris – Lawrence, 1871
  • Range: South America – coastal Brazil from Amazon estuary to Santa Catarina.