How to identify it
Chicken-sized (35-48 cm) with a long narrow bill and barring on the flanks. [1][2]
Where it lives
Salt marsh, rarely brackish; strictly salt marsh along most of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, sometimes adjacent brackish marsh, and shallow mangrove swamps in Florida. [1][2]
How it behaves
Harsh clattering call, kek-kek-kek-kek-kek [1][2]
Forages by walking in shallow water or on mud, especially on a falling or low tide, taking prey from the ground or vegetation or probing [1][2]
Eats mainly crustaceans (crabs, crayfish), also aquatic insects, small fish, mollusks, worms, frogs and sometimes seeds [1][2]
Found year-round in many parts of its range; some withdrawal from the northern Atlantic end in winter [1][2]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Alabama — migratory bird hunting · King Rail, Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, Sora and Gallinule Seasons 2026-2027 (ADCNR)
- Connecticut — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 CT Migratory Bird Hunting Guide
- Delaware — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide: Migratory Bird Seasons & Bag Limits
- Florida — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Florida Migratory Bird Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits (FWC)
- Georgia — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Season Dates - Migratory Birds (WRD 1-page synopsis, linked from georgiawildlife.com/migratory-bird-info)
- Louisiana — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting Regulations (updated Aug 7, 2026)
- Maryland — migratory bird hunting · 2026-27 Maryland Guide to Hunting & Trapping (official guide, linked from dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide)
- Mississippi — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 Hunting Seasons (MDWFP PDF)
- North Carolina — migratory bird hunting · Proclamation: 2026-2027 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons (NCWRC)
- Rhode Island — migratory bird hunting · Hunting and Trapping Regulations (250-RICR-60-00-9)
- South Carolina — migratory bird hunting · 2026-2027 South Carolina Hunting & Fishing Laws and Regulations Guide
- Virginia — migratory bird hunting · Migratory Game Bird Regulations | Virginia DWR
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Coasts of the western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean: Massachusetts south through Florida along the Atlantic, and Florida west to Tamaulipas along the Gulf.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALAudubon Field Guide: Clapper Rail
National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30
National Audubon Society
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe