clapper rail

noun

1. a long-billed rail, Rallus longirostris, of coastal marshes of the Americas, having a harsh, cackling cry.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clapper rail¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

The nests and eggs of any of these sub-species cannot be distinguished from those of the common Clapper Rail.

From Project Gutenberg