Rallus obsoletus levipes
Bangs, 1899
Light-footed Ridgway's Rail
T1T1Global Rank
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104490
Element CodeABNME05014
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSubspecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderGruiformes
FamilyRallidae
GenusRallus
Synonyms
Rallus longirostris levipesBangs, 1899
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1957. The AOU check-list of North American birds, 5th ed. Port City Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD. 691 pp.
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-11-25
Change Date1996-11-25
Edition Date2011-02-15
Range Extent20,000-2,500,000 square km (about 8000-1,000,000 square miles)
Rank Reasons
Small, diminished range in coastal marshes of southern California and Baja California; many populations are small and/or declining; threatened by habitat degradation and/or introduced predators.
Range Extent Comments
Historic range: Santa Barbara County, California, to Bay of San Quintin, Baja California Norte, Mexico. Some ornithologists, questioning the identity of birds in the south, put the southern limit of the range at Ensenada, Baja California Norte. Current range: disjunct populations from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County, and Baja California; recently known from 22 marshes in California and at least 2 in Baja California; greatest concentration at Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, with sizable populations at the Kendall Frost Reserve and Tijuana Marsh in San Diego County, and Goleta Slough in Santa Barbara County.
Occurrences Comments
Breeders have been found at 22 marshes in California since 1980, at only 8 in 1989.
Threat Impact Comments
Initial decline was due to habitat destruction (dredging and filling of marshes; about two-thirds of the original habitat in the U.S. has been lost; predation by red fox and other predators, human disturbance, and degradation of marsh quality are continuing problems at many sites (California DF&G 1990). The two principal colonies in Baja California, at El Estero de Punta Banda and Bahia de San Quintin, are threatened by proposed developments (Ehrlich et al. 1992).
Ecology & Habitat
Description
A large gray-brown rail with large feet, short rounded wings, and a long, slightly decurved bill; the flanks are barred; the tail is short and often cocked upward.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Differs from east coast subspecies CREPITANS in being brighter below and by having the cheeks brownish gray rather than gray (NGS 1983). Similar to subspecies OBSOLETUS of northern California but bill more slender, the dorsal body feathers browner, the malar stripe, sides of neck, and underparts richer and darker, the flanks and vent less grayish and more brownish (Ridgway and Friedmann 1941). Similar to subspecies BELDINGI of Baja California but darker overall (Ridgway and Friedmann 1941).
Habitat
Cordgrass-pickleweed saltmarsh. Size of breeding populations is closely associated with above-ground biomass of SPARTINA FOLIOSA; keeping the salt marsh open to the sea is critically important (Foin and Brenchley-Jackson 1991).
Nests under clump of pickleweed, on ground or in cordgrass slightly above ground level (Matthews and Moseley 1990).
Nests under clump of pickleweed, on ground or in cordgrass slightly above ground level (Matthews and Moseley 1990).
Ecology
At Upper Newport Bay, minimum home range size was 0.36-1.66 ha; maximum distances between locations for a given rail generally were less than 400 m (avg. 12-289 m); territorial rails maintained small home ranges all year; usually covered only small part of range each day (Zembal et al. 1989).
Reproduction
Most eggs are laid from early April to early May (Matthews and Moseley 1990).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| California | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Residential & commercial development | Unknown | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Pervasive - large | Unknown | High (continuing) |
| 8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Pervasive - large | Unknown | High (continuing) |
Roadless Areas (2)
California (2)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Juncal | Los Padres National Forest | 12,289 |
| White Ledge | Los Padres National Forest | 18,632 |
References (15)
- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1957. The AOU check-list of North American birds, 5th ed. Port City Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD. 691 pp.
- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., R.C. Banks, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, A.G. Navarro-Sigüenza, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K.Winker. 2014. Fifty-Fifth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 131(4):1-15.
- Biosystems Analysis, Inc. 1989. Endangered Species Alert Program Manual: Species Accounts and Procedures. Southern California Edison Environmental Affairs Division.
- California Department of Fish and Game (CDF&G). 1990. 1989 annual report on the status of California's state listed threatened and endangered plants and animals. 188 pp.
- Eddleman, W. R., F. L. Knopf, B. Meanley, F. A. Reid, and R. Zembal. 1988. Conservation of North American rallids. Wilson Bulletin 100:458-475.
- Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 259 pp.
- Foin, T. C., and J. L. Brenchley-Jackson. 1991. Simulation model evaluation of potential recovery of endangered light-footed clapper rail populations. Biological Conservation 58:123-148.
- King, W. B., compiler. 1979. Endangered birds of the world. The International Council for Bird Preservation. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. [Reprinted in handbook form in 1981.]
- Matthews, J.R. and C.J. Moseley (eds.). 1990. The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America. Volume 1. Plants, Mammals. xxiii + pp 1-560 + 33 pp. appendix + 6 pp. glossary + 16 pp. index. Volume 2. Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fishes, Mussels, Crustaceans, Snails, Insects, and Arachnids. xiii + pp. 561-1180. Beacham Publications, Inc., Washington, D.C.
- National Geographic Society (NGS). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
- Ridgway, R., and H. Friedmann. 1941. The birds of North and Middle America. Part IX. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 50.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1990. Endangered and threatened species recovery program: report to Congress. 406 pp.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2023. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Technical Corrections for Eight Species of Endangered and Threatened Fish and Wildlife. Federal Register 88(181):64824-64831.
- Zembal, R., and J. M. Fancher. 1988. Foraging behavior and foods of the light-footed clapper rail. Condor 90:959-962.
- Zembal, R., B. M. Massey, and J. M. Fancher. 1989. Movements and activity patterns of the light-footed clapper rail. Journal of Wildlife Management 53:39-42.