King Rail Nesting and Brood Rearing Ecology in Managed Wetlands Final Report

The King Rail (Rallus elegans) is a secretive marsh bird of conservation concern. King Rails have a large range throughout the eastern half of the United States extending from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. Qualitative accounts indicate that inland migratory populations were once quite common, but have experienced major population declines in the latter half of the 20th century (Cooper 2008). North American Breeding Bird Survey data suggest a significant annual King Rail population decline of 3.44% (97.5% CI: -6.72, 1.43) across its range in the United States from 1990 to 2009, though the Breeding Bird Survey has been shown to be a poor representation of trends for secretive marshbirds (Sauer et al. 2011). Because of this population decline, King Rails are listed as threatened or endangered in 12 states (Cooper 2008).