clapper rail
noun
: a grayish-brown long-billed American rail (Rallus longirostris) that inhabits coastal marshes
Examples of clapper rail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wildlife in the Palo Alto Baylands includes birds such as clapper rails and black rails, the western pygmy blue butterfly, mud crabs and various fish, among others.
—
Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 15 Dec. 2025
The bird, also called a clapper rail, is noted for its distinctive clacking or grunting-like call.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024
Acadian flycatchers at the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary and the Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, a clapper rail at Moswetuset Hummock, 11 piping plovers at Wollaston Beach, and a black vulture in Medway.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2023
Bring binoculars for the best chance to see varieties like the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher, which nests in the refuge, and the Yuma clapper rail, which spends most of its time hidden in the tall grasses.
—Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Wetlands are widely valued as natural pollution filters and as habitat for endangered species such as the Yuma clapper rail, whooping crane and least tern.
—Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 29 Apr. 2015
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Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 15 Dec. 2025
The bird, also called a clapper rail, is noted for its distinctive clacking or grunting-like call.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024
Acadian flycatchers at the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary and the Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, a clapper rail at Moswetuset Hummock, 11 piping plovers at Wollaston Beach, and a black vulture in Medway.
—Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2023
Bring binoculars for the best chance to see varieties like the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher, which nests in the refuge, and the Yuma clapper rail, which spends most of its time hidden in the tall grasses.
—Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Wetlands are widely valued as natural pollution filters and as habitat for endangered species such as the Yuma clapper rail, whooping crane and least tern.
—Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 29 Apr. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Clapper rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clapper%20rail. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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