Ridgway's Rail

The elusive and endangered Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus) is a foraging species, digging into the mud flats like the snowy egret for mussels, crabs, and clams. Endemic to San Francisco Bay’s salt marsh ecosystems, Ridgway's Rails were only formerly “discovered” as of 2014. Previously known as the California Clapper Rail, genetic analysis has distinguished Ridgway's Rails from true Clapper Rails, found on the eastern coast of America. Unfortunately, a new alliterated name does not change the fact the Ridgway's Rail has been endangered since the 1970s. Habitat loss is the primary culprit of this drastic reduction in population size, mostly concerning the sheer reduction in remaining fragments of marsh habitat adorning the Bay. Salt marsh ecosystems are currently small enough that they are entirely submerged during high tide. Ridgway's Rails prefer to run through the marshland rather than fly or swim in order to evade predation. This leaves them vulnerable come high tide when the marsh is submerged and running is not an option. In turn, increased predation rates are another factor keeping population sizes low. Conservation efforts are afoot, as the Ridgway's recent change in name has brought with it attention from researchers and conservationists alike.