Ecology of Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) Overwintering in Coastal Pine Savannas of the

Northern Gulf of Mexico

Kelly Morris 1, Mark Woodrey 2, 3, Scott G. Hereford 4, Eric Soehren5, Jacob Walker 6 and Scott Rush 1

1 Dept. of Wildlife Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS

2 Mississippi State University - Coastal Research and Extension Center3 Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Point, MS

4 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Gautier, MS 5 Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division, Midway, AL

6 Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON Canada

Introduction

“common in fall and early spring on open hay fields …” – Golson and Holt 1914. Auk 31:218.

• Wintering studies are limited to coastal Texas, Oklahoma and coastal South Carolina

• General lack of data along wintering habitats especially in coastal pine savannas along the Gulf Coast of Mexico

Southeastern Pine Savanna• Once dominated the

coastal plains of the southeast United States

• Characterized by clumps or sparsely distributed trees

• Ground cover dominated by warm season grasses

• Historical natural disturbance (fire)

• Fire plays an essential role in pine savanna communities

Objectives– Develop a standardized monitoring protocol– Determine Yellow Rail home range and habitat use in

coastal pine savanna habitats – Determine response to prescribed burn regimes

Photo: Angela Dedrickson

Study Sites

Standardized Protocol

• ~30 min after sunset• 10m drag line w/bottles, 1/4 full of rocks

attached• 4 member crew: 2 pulling drag line 2 evenly

spaced behind line• Use of fixed positions (Shepard's hook’s

w/lanterns) to navigate straight passes• Area covered limited by survey site and time not

to exceed 2.5 hrs

Home Range and Habitat Use

• Sites were chosen based on known Yellow Rail locations

• YERA were captured at night using hand nets

• Morphological measurements

• 1.2g transmitter attached using modified synsacrum harness (Haramis and Kearns 2000*)

*Haramis & Kearns 2000. Journal of Field Ornithology, 71(1), 135-139.

Home Range and Habitat Use (2013)

• Tracked once a day between 0800-1300 for up to 30 days

• Using a modified Robel Pole method a 0.1 ha plot is analyzed, centered on the ‘fix’ location of the bird

• Veg metrics also analyzed at random associated locations

• Percent cover of woody and herbaceous species

• Herbaceous and woody height composition

Response to Fire• 13 sites chosen based on burn regime and

ability to survey– 5- 2012 growing season burn (4: MSCNWR

1: GB Forever Wild Savanna,)– 1- 2011 dormant season burn (MSCNWR)– 1- 2011 growing season burn (MSCNWR)– 2- 2010 dormant season burn (MSCNWR)– 1- 2010 growing season burn (MSCNWR)– 3- 3+ years post burn (1: Jackson County

Mitigation Bank, 2: MSCNWR)

• Unbalanced due to variability in burn treatments on the refuge

Results(Surveys)

• 2011: ~ 2 rails added per hour effort• 2012: 52 birds flushed, average 1 bird/survey (38 birds banded)

~ 0.6 birds per hour effort• 2013: ~ 0.9 birds added per hour effort

Results(Radio-tracking)

• 20 tracked, 13 reached 30 points

• Mean home range size was 1.24 ha

(SE= 0.21, n=13)

Results(Habitat)

• Areas w/ YERA = less woody cover and < woody height

* Different letters reflect significant differences (TukeyHSD)* Values used in analysis were log transformed

Woody Cover

Woody Height

Results(Habitat)

• Herb cover greater in points w/YERA than points with no birds

• Herb height greater in points w/YERA and random than points with no birds

Herbaceous Cover

Herbaceous HeightF2, 1075 = 18.62, P < 0.001

F2, 1074 = 23.38, P < 0.001

Species Composition(sites with birds vs. no birds)

Herbaceous

Woody

Results

2012• Bird detected vs. not time since fire

in days before YERA survey

• Logistic regression

2013• Detected in 4 of 6 of burn treatments• Sites now burned – not burned before• Chance to test response to burning

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Days since fire

Pro

babi

lity

of d

etec

tion

24.35%12.39%

7.03%Pro

babi

lity

of d

etec

tion

Discussion

• Fire plays an important for overwintering Yellow Rails • Yellow Rails are more often found in open areas with limited

woody intrusion• Relation to other species (plants, animals) - conservation of

Bachman’s Sparrow , MS Gopher Frog MS Sandhill Crane, Henslow’s Sparrow

• Future research is needed in pine savanna systems throughout the southeast

• Study the effects of invasive species intrusion • Synthesis of pine savannas through the southeast to

determine distribution, active conservation areas.

Acknowledgements

Everyone at MSCNWR especially Angela Dedrickson, Maury Bedford, Danny Moss,

fire crew and interns. John Trent (AL DCNR), Jennifer Wilson (USFWS),Charlie Brower (USFWS),

and all the other volunteers and support that helped make this project possible!

Mississippi Ornithological Society