WhenToBird

Rallus crepitans · Rallidae

When Do Clapper Rails Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Clapper Rails are in South Carolina all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in mid October (8.7% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 15-21mid August
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byDec 1-7early December
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from mid August and fall back by early December. Peak: on about 8.7% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.1% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.3% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.3% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.9% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.2% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.5% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.7% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.7% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.8% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.9% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.8% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.7% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.8% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.7% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.2% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.1% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.8% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.9% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.1% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.3% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.5% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.4% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.8% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.4% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.8% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.9% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.7% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.0% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.0% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.2% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Georgetown CountyBest mid September · 427 checklists that week, 32,234 in all32%
  2. Colleton CountyBest late September · 232 checklists that week, 8,909 in all22%
  3. Charleston CountyBest early November · 1655 checklists that week, 102,218 in all19%
  4. Jasper CountyBest early November · 239 checklists that week, 12,443 in all16%
  5. Beaufort CountyBest the second week of November · 919 checklists that week, 60,298 in all16%
  6. Horry CountyBest late August · 549 checklists that week, 27,518 in all8.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. The CoveCharleston County, best the second week of October · 64 checklists that week, 3,344 in all84%
  2. Charles Towne Landing State Historic SiteCharleston County, best late November · 27 checklists that week, 762 in all82%
  3. West Ashley GreenwayCharleston County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 543 in all77%
  4. Russell Burgess Coastal PreserveHorry County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 1,043 in all76%
  5. Shem Creek BoardwalkCharleston County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 854 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Clapper Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 7.4% of 19280 checklists7 am: 7.2% of 66492 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 73941 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 63039 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 52652 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 3.8% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January5.1%3.3%3.1%2.6%
February2.5%2.4%1.8%2.5%
March2.6%2.8%2.7%3.3%
April3.3%3.9%4.2%3.5%
May3.7%3.7%4.2%4.8%
June4.9%4.8%4.7%4.6%
July4.4%5.1%4.8%4.7%
August5.2%5.1%5.8%5.9%
September6.1%7.3%6.5%8.4%
October7.8%8.4%8.8%8.9%
November7.7%8.0%7.0%7.0%
December5.5%5.5%5.0%5.2%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of April, 17 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives late August, 1 week later than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 17 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Alabama: arrives early March, 22 weeks earlier than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Clapper Rails arrive in South Carolina?
Clapper Rails are in South Carolina all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid August, peak in mid October (8.7% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Clapper Rails leave South Carolina?
Clapper Rails never fully leave South Carolina: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Clapper Rail in South Carolina?
The Clapper Rail is reported most often in mid October, on about 8.7% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Clapper Rails seen most often?
By county, Georgetown County, Colleton County, and Charleston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clapper Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).