Light-footed Ridgway’s rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) is a medium sized, tawny, and graybrown colored marsh bird which inhabits coastal marshes, lagoons, and their maritime environs in southern California, United States, and northern Baja California, Mexico. They require shallow water and mudflats for foraging, with adjacent higher vegetation for cover during high water (Zeiner et al. 1990, p. 174). Reference
Federal Status
ENDANGERED
- Revised Recover Plan – 1979
- 5-Year Review – 2009
- No Critical Habitat Designated
California Status
ENDANGERED and FULLY PROTECTED
- CDFW Light-footed Ridgway’s (Clapper) Rail Management, Study, and Zoological Breeding in California – 2016
- CDFW Status and Distribution of the Light-footed (Ridgway’s) Clapper Rail in California – 2014
- Life History Account – CWHR
Survey Protocol
Home Range
Map Data Source: California Wildlife Habitat Relationship (CWHR)
Photo credits: header (cropped) – Rinus Baak USFWS on Flickr, featured image – Andrew Fischer USFWS on Flickr