Karen M. Thorne Jules G. Evens 2015 <p>The Black Rail is the smallest member of the avian family <i>Rallidae</i> and has a wide-ranging but highly scattered distribution throughout the New World. Of five subspecies, two occur in North America—the Eastern Black Rail (<i>L.j. jamaicensis</i>) and the California Black Rail (<i>L.j. coturniculus</i>). Throughout its range, the Black Rail is a secretive inhabitant of tidal and freshwater wetlands and rarely ventures out from the cover of dense marsh vegetation. It is more likely to be heard than seen; spontaneous vocalizations tend to be concentrated in the nesting season and are much less common during the rest of the year.</p> application/pdf en California State Coastal Conservancy Case Study, California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis corturniculus): Science Foundation Chapter 5, Appendix 5.1 in The Baylands and climate change: What can we do? reports