Kira Newcomb
Research Specialist
Research
The King Rail (KIRA, Rallus elegans) is designated as a U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Focal Species and a Bird of Management
Concern (Cooper 2008). Populations of
KIRA are declining across the range of the species, especially in many parts of
the southeastern United States where 95% of the North American breeding
population occurs (Cooper 2008).
Breeding bird survey data suggest that the species has been recently
declining at a rate of about -10% per year (Sauer et al. 2008). The KIRA is listed as threatened or
endangered in 12 states, federally listed in Canada, and designated as a
Species of Greatest Conservation Need in 30 State Wildlife Action Plans (Cooper
2008).
It is believed that wetland destruction
has contributed to KIRA population declines and that the majority of suitable
habitat remains on public lands (Cooper 2008).
In order to manage and restore KIRA populations on USFWS refuges, it is
imperative to understand the habitat needs and ecology of the species. The USFWS King Rail Conservation Plan
identified that increasing the understanding of KIRA population ecology is a
primary goal (Cooper 2008). Biologists
hypothesize that low brood survival is a limiting factor to KIRA population
growth. However, few studies have
examined habitat use and survival of KIRA broods and adults. Thus, a fundamental first step to KIRA
conservation is estimating brood survival and identifying habitat
characteristics that are associated with high survival (Cooper 2008).
A breeding population of KIRA exists on
the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR).
The first record of nesting KIRAs on TNWR was in the 1970s, but formal
call-broadcast surveys were not initiated until 2006. These surveys suggest that population size
may exceed 10 pairs (C. Ferrell, USFWS, unpublished
data). More extensive sampling is
needed to accurately estimate KIRA breeding population size on TNWR. In addition, no information exists on nest
density, clutch size, or nest success for KIRAs breeding on TNWR. King rail broods have been observed using
shallow-water areas near borrow ditches on TNWR (C. Ferrell, personal observation) but this may be a
consequence of detectability. Detailed
information is needed on habitat use and survival of KIRA broods and adults on
TNWR. This information will be useful in
determining the population size and ecology of KIRAs using TNWR, and will
contribute to the management and conservation of the species across its range. No studies have been conducted on the KIRA
population breeding on TNWR.
The objectives of my study are:
1)
Estimate breeding population size and nest density of
KIRA on TNWR,
2)
Quantify habitat characteristics associated with KIRA
nests on TNWR,
3)
Quantify habitat use of broods and adult KIRA on TNWR,
and
4)
Estimate brood survival of KIRA on TNWR.
Collaborators:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Southeast Region), Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge,
and Friends of TNWR.
Cooper, T. R. 2008. King Rail Conservation Plan, Version 1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Snelling, Minnesota. 121 pp.
Meanley, B. 1969. Natural history of the King Rail. North American Fauna No. 67.
Reid, F. A. 1989. Differential habitat use by waterbirds in a managed wetland complex. Dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Sauer, J. R., J.
E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2008. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 -
2007. Version 5.15.2008. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel,
Maryland. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/.
Photo Credits:
King rail photos taken by Clayton Ferrell (USFWS, TNWR).
Personal
Salutations to all!
My professional interest in field and wildlife biology
began in 2006 with an NSF-REU project at Berry College
working with Trypanosoma cruzi and
hunting for one of its vectors, Triatoma
sanguisuga. I graduated with honors and received a B.S. in biology from Centre College the following year. After
graduation, I signed on to the Student
Conservation Association as a threatened and endangered species intern at
MCB Camp Lejeune on the North Carolina coast. I was exposed to a wide array of
wildlife management projects and got to know many extraordinary folks. As an
intern, I did everything from rescuing trapped loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings
from over washed nests to scraping and painting red-cockaded woodpecker cavity
trees. During the second term of my internship, a Virginia Tech graduate
student investigating Wilson’s plover
ecology on MCB Camp Lejeune offered me an opportunity to work on her
project (top center photo). It was an incredible experience and cemented my
passion for avian ecology. While continuing on with data work for the Wilson’s
plover project, I worked with two Virginia Tech researchers on their red-cockaded
woodpecker projects (bottom right photo). Now, I am embarking on a journey
with king rails through the University of Tennessee!
I was born in Milwaukee, WI and lived in Port
Washington, WI until the age of 7. We moved outside of Fountain City, IN and
then to Franklin, IN and finally landed in Jacksonville, AL. I was a gymnast throughout most of my school
years and also played soccer in high school. Once at Centre College, I traded
in sports for more scholarly pastimes and leadership opportunities with Kappa Kappa Gamma. In addition to
sorority life, being involved in choir and modern dance helped keep me balanced
during those college years. Post-Centre passions include reading, singing,
watching movies, crafting, kayaking, geocaching,
birding, and sushi.
Thank you for your interest in KIRAs!
Contact Information
Email: knewcom1@utk.edu
Phone: 865-974-3897
UT Department of
Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries