PHOTO: Clapper rail

This beautiful bird sometimes wanders along the edges of marshes, but clapper rails are more typically found in dense cover of salt marshes.  According to Audubon, this East Coast bird is not threatened, but its numbers have declined in recent years mainly due to loss of habitat, i.e., too much coastal construction and development.  During the next time you’re near a marsh, listen for the clapper rail’s high-pitched cackle.  Photo provided.