2026/04/03 by Robert Patchett, D. A. Robertson · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Avian ecology and behavior #Climate change #Energy expenditure #Fish Ecology and Management Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1080/00063657.2026.2641735
published in Bird Study 73(2), 89-96 (Taylor & Francis)
openalex publication_date 2026/04/03 · openalex created_date 2026/04/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/20
Capsule The Water Rail breeding population at the Tay Reedbeds, eastern Scotland, is partially migratory.Aims To investigate the migratory and breeding behaviours of Water Rails in Scotland’s Tay Reedbeds.Methods Light-level geolocators were used to estimate migration timing, identify non-breeding locations and infer breeding behaviour of nine individuals from ten recovered geolocators over a six-year period.Results Five breeding birds remained resident year-round, two migrated to Ireland for the winter (including one individual tagged in two years that migrated in both), and two additional birds arrived from north-east Europe to winter in the Tay Reedbeds. Based on incubation periods of ≥19 days as an indicator of success, ten of 15 incubation attempts (67%) were successful. Among the ten bird-years (n = nine individuals, with one bird monitored across two years), 50% of breeding birds were single-brooded, 10% were double-brooded, 20% made a second breeding attempt after a failure, 10% made two failed attempts before a successful one, and 10% made a single unsuccessful attempt.Conclusion The results indicate that the breeding population of Water Rails in Britain, previously considered resident, is partially migratory. Light-level geolocators can provide valuable insights into breeding ecology, particularly for species where direct observation is challenging.