clapper rail

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of clapper rail

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

A clapper rail darts for cover in a patch of coastal red mangroves.

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2021

Cats feast on endangered North American ground-nesting birds such as the California clapper rail, least tern, and piping plover, any one of which is cuter than a laundry basket full of kittens.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2013

So do marsh-inhabiting birds like the clapper rail, shore- birds, and even visiting seabirds.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

No doubt you once played with some mechanical toy that made a noise something like the peculiar, rolling cackle of the clapper rail.

From Birds Every Child Should Know by Blanchan, Neltje

At one time the clapper rail was very plentiful in certain localities in California and furnished abundant sport, though rather of a tame nature, to those who hunted them.

From Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Payne, Harry Thom