Distribution

Breeding Range

Figure 1 . Saline wetlands on East Coast of U.S. from Massachusetts (Veit and Peterson 1993) and Rhode Island (Enser 1992) and possibly New Hampshire (Foss 1994) south to Florida Keys (Am. Ornithol. Union 1983); on Gulf Coast from Cape Sable, FL, west to Tamaulipas, Mexico (16 km south of mouth of Rio Grande; Banks 1974). Nests inland to extent of saline wetlands (e.g., >5,700 ppm salinity; Ripley 1977) in areas such as Delaware Bay (north to Pea Patch I., New Castle Co., DE; Hess et al. in press) and Chesapeake Bay (on western shore, north to Sandy Point State Park, Anne Arundel Co., MD; on eastern shore, north to se. Talbot Co., MD; Robbins and Blom 1996).

Range in Mexico, Central America, and South America poorly known. Recorded on Yucatán Peninsula from Quintana Roo (Chinchorro Reef), Rio Lagartos, and Belize (Ycacos Lagoon and Half Moon Cay; Am. Ornithol. Union 1983, Howell and Webb 1995, CJC). One record from Bocas del Toro, Panama (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). Recorded from Caribbean coast of South America in La Guajira (Ríohacha, Bahía Portete, Pto. López) and coastal Nariño, Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986). Also resident from nw. Colombia coast to Tumbes in nw. Peru (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Hilty and Brown 1986). Occurs from Falcón and Carabobo, Venezuela, along coast of the Guianas, and casually to Santa Catarina in se. Brazil (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Am. Ornithol. Union 1983), as well as on Trinidad (Bond 1971, Ripley 1977).

Resident in Caribbean on all main islands of Bahamas (Brudenell-Bruce 1975), Cuba and Isle of Pines (common; Garrido and Kirkconnell 1993), Jamaica (uncommon; Downer and Sutton 1990), Dominican Republic (locally on north coast and along Lake Enriquillo in interior; Dod 1981, Puerto Rico (Raffaele 1989), U.S. Virgin Is. (less numerous than on Puerto Rico; Raffaelle 1989, Evans 1990), St. Croix, Antigua, and Guadeloupe (Evans 1990).

Occurs in San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, CA (and formerly in Monterey and Tomales bays); from Santa Barbara Co. to San Diego Co., CA; locally along Pacific Coast of Baja California south to Magdalena Bay; and on s. Gulf Coast of Baja California Sur (La Paz, San José, and Espíritu Santo Is.; Am. Ornithol. Union 1983, Shuford 1993, Massey and Palacios 1994, Small 1994, Howell and Webb 1995). Resident on south end of Salton Sea, CA; lower Colorado River from Laughlin Bay, NV, to Colorado River delta in Mexico; lower Gila River, AZ; and occasionally east to Phoenix, AZ, area (Todd 1986, Rosenberg et al. 1991). Occurs on West Coast of mainland Mexico from Bahía Kino, Sonora, south to San Blas, Nayarit (Tomlinson and Todd 1973, Ripley 1977, Am. Ornithol. Union 1983, Howell and Webb 1995).

Winter Range

Populations in s. and w. U.S. and farther south are resident; northeastern populations winter in southern part of breeding range (Meanley 1985). Small numbers remain as far north as Connecticut during mild winters (Root 1988, Bevier 1994). Uncommon (but regular) in New Jersey and Delaware in winter (Sibley 1993, Hess et al. in press). Detailed delineation of winter range difficult because Clapper Rails are difficult to observe and vocalization rates decline substantially in winter (see Sounds: vocalizations, below). Highest densities in winter occur from Camp Lejeune, NC, to Titusville, FL, including almost entire length of S. Carolina coast (Root 1988). Also recorded in winter in Bahamas (Cory 1888).

Not recorded.

Arguably rare historically north of New York, but began to increase in Connecticut in 1930s and 1940s (Saunders 1950, Bevier 1994). No nesting noted until 1953 in Rhode Island (Enser 1992) and until 1955 in Massachusetts (Veit and Petersen 1993). Local loss of breeding populations has occurred in e. U.S. because of habitat loss and degradation (Meanley 1985).

Distribution of subspecies in w. U.S. much reduced since 1900 (Gill 1979, Zembal and Massey 1981, Shuford 1993, Fleischer et al. 1995). Habitat in San Francisco Bay, CA, has been reduced by 80–90%, and Clapper Rails have disappeared from Morro, Tomales, and Monterey bays. Range of Light-footed Clapper Rail (R. l. levipes) has been similarly reduced in s. California (Fleischer et al. 1995). Yuma Clapper Rail believed to have occurred mostly in Colorado River delta in Mexico before dam-building on lower Colorado River; now most may nest in U.S. (Ohmart et al. 1975, Todd 1986).

Fossils of rails in the Rallus elegans-longirostris group have been reported from late Pliocene or early Pleistocene (early Blancan); (3.5 million yr ) Hagerman local fauna of Idaho (Feduccia 1968). Three other fossil species have been described that are closely related to or synonymous with R. elegans-longirostris complex: Rallus philippsi (Wetmore 1957), from upper Pliocene deposits in Mohave Co., AZ, described from right tarsometatarsus, was smaller than R. longirostris, but falls within lower size range of modern material (Olson 1977). Rallus natator, originally described as Epirallus natator from Pleistocene deposits in San Josecito Cavern, Aramberri Province, Nuevo León, Mexico (Miller 1942), was a large member of the complex (Olson 1973, 1974). An additional large, long-billed Rallus has been found in Pleistocene deposits of Bermuda (Olson 1973).