Ridgway’s Rail
Tracks Ridgway’s Rail population density in tidal marsh habitats of the San Francisco Bay
A Secretive Marsh Bird That Reflects the Quality and Resilience of Tidal Marsh Habitats
Last Update: 2015
Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus) is an endangered bird that depends on a healthy channelized tidal marsh—low marsh for foraging, mid- and upper marsh for nesting and shelter from predators, and transitional habitat between marsh and uplands for refuge during high tides. Changes in population density may signal shifts in habitat quality and provide a measure of whether restoration goals are being met.
A Ridgway’s Rail forages in a marsh.
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