What does the Clapper Rail sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the Clapper Rail's "kek-kek-kek-kek-kek!".
What you're hearing
The classic voice is a loud, rattling burst that sounds like two sticks clacking fast in the marsh. Pairs may answer each other, turning a quiet creek into a noisy showdown.
“kek-kek-kek-kek-kek!”
Birders often file this one under Clattering duet.
What time of night you hear it
Dusk and through the night in coastal salt marsh.
They are easiest to detect by sound in spring and summer, when pairs call loudly at dawn and dusk. Low tide can also bring them into view as they step out to feed along muddy creek edges.
Why a Clapper Rail calls at night
An accelerating, clattering kek-kek-kek that runs down like a wind-up toy, and often sets off every other rail within earshot. It is one of the defining night sounds of Atlantic and Gulf salt marshes.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.