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For the light-footed clapper rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) - one of California's most endangered coastal birds - life is no day at the beach.
The population of this at-risk species has declined to fewer than 600, primarily as a result of coastal wetlands destruction and degradation. A year-round resident, the light-footed clapper rail inhabits coastal salt and freshwater marshes surrounding San Diego Bay and the Sweetwater River basin. It was listed as federally endangered in 1970, and state endangered in 1971. Because rangewide recovery chances are minimal, current management is focused on sustaining remaining populations by maintaining and enhancing habitat and controlling predators. Ranging from Santa Barbara to Imperial Beach, Calif., these small birds need big help.
Enter SeaWorld San Diego, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chula Vista Nature Center and a crew of independent biologists. These organizations developed a Captive Propagation Protocol for the light-footed clapper rail, designed to combat genetic bottlenecking in wild rail populations. Such bottlenecking can result from habitat fragmentation and isolation, and can prove detrimental to maintaining a genetically diverse (see "Wild Definition" section) population.
Over the past two years, the program has resulted in breeding wild-captured rail pairs. In addition to encouraging natural parent care, the team used artificial incubation and hand-rearing techniques to ensure success.
In total, 30 offspring were fledged, the majority of which were released into five distinct areas identified as rail habitat with depressed populations. A small number of individual birds were retained to continue the Captive Propagation Protocol program.
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