2026/04/03 by Robert Patchett, D. A. Robertson · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Avian ecology and behavior #Fish Ecology and Management Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1080/00063657.2026.2641735
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.