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

“There is this secretive marsh bird called a clapper rail,” Mx.

From New York Times

“There is this secretive marsh bird called a clapper rail,” Mx.

From New York Times

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

From BBC

They looked at four birds: the clapper rail, willet, saltmarsh sparrow and seaside sparrow.

From New York Times

The endangered Yuma clapper rail croaks a funny song in the tall reeds that rise up out of the unexpected marshes in the Ciénega de Santa Clara.

From Scientific American