Abstract
Knowledge of the ecology of the Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) has remained nearly as elusive as the rail itself. Camera trapping methods facilitated the first study of breeding phenology and chick development, courtship and brood rearing behaviors, and flightless molt phenology and duration. Broods (n = 33) were observed between August 2015 - September 2019. Chicks were capable of flight at approximately 40 days after hatching. Nesting was initiated as early as 17 April 2019 ( x̄ = 5 June ± 30.0 SD) and fledging occurred as late as 30 September 2019 (x̄ = 10 August). Behavioral observations combined with phenology data provided evidence of pairs raising two or more broods during a breeding season. Flightless molt (n = 10 adults in molt), which was initiated as early as 15 August 2019 and completed as late as 11 October 2019, was completed within approximately 21 days of initiation. Conservation and management strategies should take into consideration periods of vulnerability, which coincide with increasingly severe and frequent coastal flooding events and hurricanes. It is necessary to understand factors key to fecundity and survival to effectively develop conservation strategies to ensure the persistence of the subspecies.
Highlights
Breeding phenology includes the timing of breeding behaviors such as arrival on breeding grounds, courtship and copulation, egg laying and incubation, chick rearing, and fledging (Dunn and Moller 2014)
Two subspecies of Black Rail are known to occur in the United States; Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus (California Black Rail) in California and Arizona, and Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis (Eastern Black Rail) in states east of the Rocky Mountains (Eddleman et al 2020)
Conservation efforts to prevent extirpation and promote reproductive success require an understanding of phenology, fecundity, and survival; information which is scarce throughout the range of the Eastern Black Rail
Summary
Breeding phenology includes the timing of breeding behaviors such as arrival on breeding grounds, courtship and copulation, egg laying and incubation, chick rearing, and fledging (Dunn and Moller 2014). In lesser studied species, these basic biological requirements often remain unknown. Ripley (1977) remarked that very little is known about the habits of the Black Rail and of species within the genus Laterallus, collectively, due to their tiny size and proclivity for secretiveness. Two subspecies of Black Rail are known to occur in the United States; Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus (California Black Rail) in California and Arizona, and Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis (Eastern Black Rail) in states east of the Rocky Mountains (Eddleman et al 2020). Conservation efforts to prevent extirpation and promote reproductive success require an understanding of phenology, fecundity, and survival; information which is scarce throughout the range of the Eastern Black Rail
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
