WhenToBird

Rallus crepitans · Rallidae

When Do Clapper Rails Arrive in Florida?

Adult Clapper Rail
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Clapper Rail is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 2.1% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 2.1% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.0% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.9% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.9% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.9% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.9% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 82405 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Florida that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dixie CountyBest the second week of August · 45 checklists that week, 2,113 in all39%
  2. Taylor CountyBest mid June · 31 checklists that week, 1,937 in all32%
  3. Franklin CountyBest late April · 945 checklists that week, 20,336 in all27%
  4. Nassau CountyBest the second week of October · 220 checklists that week, 10,618 in all24%
  5. Wakulla CountyBest early May · 476 checklists that week, 27,521 in all20%
  6. St. Johns CountyBest early November · 904 checklists that week, 51,026 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dickerson BayWakulla County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 1,132 in all95%
  2. Pam Callahan Nature PreserveHillsborough County, best mid May · 37 checklists that week, 2,065 in all86%
  3. Tiger PondDuval County, best late March · 36 checklists that week, 628 in all84%
  4. Maria Sanchez LakeSt. Johns County, best late November · 39 checklists that week, 940 in all83%
  5. Little Pine IslandSt. Johns County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 173 in all79%
  6. Double PondFranklin County, best the second week of April · 88 checklists that week, 2,632 in all76%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Florida, the Clapper Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 4.0% of 94591 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 296183 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 319987 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 254830 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 209480 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.2%1.1%1.0%1.0%
February1.0%1.0%1.0%1.2%
March1.3%1.4%1.5%1.6%
April1.7%1.9%2.0%2.2%
May2.0%2.0%2.1%2.0%
June2.0%1.9%1.7%1.7%
July1.9%1.7%1.9%1.9%
August1.8%1.7%2.0%1.9%
September1.9%1.8%1.9%2.0%
October2.1%2.0%1.9%1.9%
November1.8%1.7%1.7%1.7%
December1.6%1.4%1.4%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: winter visitor, peaks the second week of October
  • South Carolina: all year, most in fall, peaks mid October
  • Alabama: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks mid October

Common questions

When do Clapper Rails arrive in Florida?
The Clapper Rail is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 2.1% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Clapper Rails leave Florida?
The Clapper Rail does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 1.0% of checklists in the second week of February to 2.1% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Clapper Rail in Florida?
The Clapper Rail is reported most often in late April, on about 2.1% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Clapper Rails seen most often?
By county, Dixie County, Taylor County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clapper Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).