
PERSPECTIVE OF WOODCOCK, SNIPE AND RATL INVESTIGATIONS - 1956 
John W. Aldrich 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C. 
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW 
The agencies charged with directing the conservation and wise use 
of our wildlife resources must have knowledge of the requirements of 
each species, and current information on whether these requirements 
are being met. There must first of all be a chart to permit us to 
visualize what we need to know for sound wildlife management. This 
chart should show in easily decipherable form all of the pertinent 
information on the life history of the species in question with the 
more Significant facts or danger points highlighted. Finally, the 
usefulness of this chart should be tested under practical operational 
conditions to see if it fulfills the requirements safeguarding the 
wildlife species. 
The migratory game birds considered in this annual publication 
and included under the terms woodcock, snipe and rails are: American 
Woodcock (Philohela minor), Common Snipe (Capella gallinago), Clapper 
Rail (Rallus longirostris), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), King Rail 
(Rallus elegans), Sora (Porzana carolina), Yellow Rail (Coturnicops 
noveboracensis), Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), Purple Gallinule 
(Porphyrula martinica), Common Gallinule (Gallinula chloropus) and 
American Coot (Fulica americana). 
Some of the species of rails and gallinules, although classified 
as game birds under the migratory bird treaties, are so seldom hunted 
that, up to the present, little effort has been made to bring together 
information on them for game management. 
The main things we need to know to be sure the migratory bird 
resources are adequately protected are: The exact habitat require- 
ments, both qualitative and quantitative and what changes in amounts 
of these habitats are taking place; the details of distribution and 
migration; how the populations are fluctuating in abundance from year 
to year; the hunting pressure; and other mortality factors such as 
disease or poisons which are operating significantly against survival 
of the species. — 
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT 
The two Federal Agencies - U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 
Canadian Wildlife Service are currently putting most emphasis on 
getting information necessary for managing ducks and geese because 
of the great interest in hunting these groups of birds and the 
attendant danger to survival of these species. Consequently very little 
effort is currently being put into investigation of the woodcock, snipe 
and rail species by these agencies. The Canadian Wildlife Service 
encourages the obtaining of population information by its personnel 
when this can be done incidental to their main duties, but has no 
projects set up specifically for research on these species. Mr. Leslie 
