The Light-footed Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) is a reclusive resident of southern California’s coastal saltmarshes. Historically the subspecies ranged from Santa Barbara, California, to San Quintin Bay, Baja California, Mexico (Bent 1926). Long known to be in jeopardy because of loss of habitat (Wilbur and Tomlinson 1976), the rail is on both federal and state lists of endangered species.