Endangered Bird Released in San Diego County

September 7, 2007

Five critically endangered light-footed clapper rails produced at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park earlier this year found a new home in the marshlands of the San Diego River today, two years after the Park joined the conservation efforts of "Team Clapper Rail."

Endemic to Southern California, this species reached a low of 142 pairs in 1984, but through the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Team Clapper Rail—a group of volunteers, wildlife experts, government agencies, and conservation organizations including the Chula Vista Nature Center and SeaWorld San Diego—there are now more than 400 pairs. To date, more than 160 clapper rails have been bred and released into the wild since the inception of Team Clapper Rail. Today's release, however, marks the first time the Wild Animal Park has produced chicks and the first time its chicks were released into their natural habitat. The birds were fitted with radio transmitters attached to a tail feather, allowing volunteers to track their movements and activities following release for a period of up to 42 days. Team Clapper Rail releases the birds in one of 18 Southern California marshes.

The Chula Vista Nature Center, SeaWorld San Diego, and the Wild Animal Park are the breeding centers for the 14-inch tall light-footed clapper rail. After clapper rail eggs are incubated and hatched, chicks are either parent raised or hand raised by aviculturists at each facility. The chicks are later sent to the Chula Vista Nature Center, where they are placed in transitional enclosures on marsh habitat to prepare them for release.

More

See video of the release
Read a blog about raising the chicks
News Archive: Endangered Southern California Bird Hatches; First Time at Wild Animal Park