Famously secretive and difficult to photograph (as here evidenced), Ridgway’s Rail, Rallus obsoletes, and the Clapper Rail were considered the same species until 2014. Spending most of its life concealed in dense wetland vegetation, it uses its long sturdy bill to probe the muds for invertebrate prey. These rails are most often found in coastal salt marshes where they use special salt glands that allow them to drink seawater.
