King rail (Rallus elegans) home range and microhabitat characteristics in western Lake Erie coastal marshes.

ABSTRACT: The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a secretive marsh bird that is threatened or endangered in eight of nine states and provinces in the Laurentian Great Lakes (Great Lakes) region. Available survey data suggests that this species has undergone population declines across this region and these are believed to have been driven by habitat loss and degradation. An improved understanding of the amount and type of habitat king rails require during the breeding season at sites within the Great Lakes region would inform and improve progress toward conservation goals. During 2019-2021, we caught and radio-tagged 14 king rails in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan within impounded coastal wetlands of western Lake Erie. We used radio telemetry to identify breeding season (May-August) ho

SUBMITTER: Brewer DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10133529 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature