Interannual Winter Site Fidelity for Yellow and Black Rails

Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) is a species of conservation concern, while the Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) has recently been listed as Threatened. Both species winter primarily in coastal areas from Texas through North Carolina. Between-year winter site fidelities of these species have not previously been reported, so we analyzed the recapture histories of Yellow Rails banded in southeastern Oklahoma (from 2008 to 2018) and coastal Texas (from 2006 to 2018), as well as Black Rails banded in Texas from 2006 to 2018. We banded 111 Yellow Rails in Oklahoma and 421 Yellow Rails in Texas during this time, as well as 94 Black Rails in Texas. Although Yellow Rails were routinely recaptured within season, only five individuals were recaptured between years. All recaptured birds were in Texas. Black Rails likewise exhibited low interannual site fidelity, with no interannual recaptures. The apparent low interannual site fidelity of Yellow Rails (1.1% in Texas, 0% in Oklahoma) and Black Rails (0%) is similar to that reported for other grassland species wintering in grasslands in this area (e.g., LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), Henslow’s Sparrow (A. henslowii), and Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris)), and we speculate that low site fidelity could potentially be advantageous for species that use early successional habitats.