Contents 



Page 



Introduction 1 



History and Systematic Position 4 



History 4 



Systematic position 6 



Relationship to the Clapper Rail 6 



Distribution and Migration 10 



Distribution 10 



Migration 12 



Local movements 14 



Ecological Relations 16 



Louisiana gulf coast marshes 16 



The delta marsh 16 



The subdelta marsh 17 



The prairie marshes 18 



Southern ricefields 20 



Florida 25 



South Carolina Low Country 27 



Savannah National Wildlife Refuge 29 



Upper Savannah River Valley 32 



Chesapeake Bay Country 32 



Tidewater Virginia 32 



Virginia Eastern Shore 34 



Maryland Eastern Shore 35 



Inner Coastal Plain of Maryland 38 



Delaware Bay, Del 39 



Great Lakes region 41 



North-central prairie marshes 42 



Northern Great Plains 42 



Description 43 



Size 43 



Adult plumage 43 



Legs and feet 45 



Bill 45 



Tongue and lining of mouth 45 



Eye 45 



Notes on sexing and aging 45 



Molting 46 



Breeding Biology 48 



Homing 48 



Territories 48 



Defense of territories 49 



Courtship behavior 50 



Mating call and pair formation 50 



Other calls 50 



Display 51 



Courtship feeding 53 



(V) 



