Coturnicops noveboracensis

A small buffy rail with very secretive habits (Peterson 1980). White wing patch noticeable in flight. Has a very short greenish bill and a striped, checkered back with buff and black (Peterson 1980). The male's bill turns black after the breeding season. Weight 50-55 g; 15 to 19 cm (6 to 7.5 inches) long; wingspan 25 to 33 cm (10 to 13 inches) (Evers 1990). Males are generally larger than females.

Both the male and female are capable of calling. The calls consist of a long, continued series of pairs and triplets of "ticks" (Savaloja 1981). The female has a variety of calls used when protecting young. A "rowr" is used when the nest is disturbed, a whining may be used to attract young, and moans may be given when brooding (Savaloja 1981). Males call during northward migration and females do not. During the pre-incubation period the males will give their calls nightly for hours, stopping for only a few minutes each hour. Calling continues (at lower levels) during and after incubation but generally ends in mid-August.

The chicks have a pink bill and are black in color. The bill fades and eventually becomes black in its juvenile stage. Juveniles are darker than adults and have white barred breast areas and distinctive spots on the head. Young chicks and juveniles give various sounds described as "wees" and "peeps" (Savaloja 1981).

Small size; striped yellow and black above with small white crossbars; in flight shows a large white patch on trailing edges of wings; bill short and thick. Call is a four- or five-note tik-tik, tik-tik-tik, in alternate twos and threes (National Geographic Society 1999).

BREEDING: Emergent wetlands, grass or sedge marshes and wet meadows in freshwater situations. Some breeding territories in these wet meadows contain firm footing and only a few remnant pools of water (Berkey 1991). These areas can range from damp to 38 cm (15 inches) of water but the average depth used for nesting is 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) (Savaloja 1981). Choose shallow water habitats over deep marsh zones. The vegetation ranges in height from about 5 to over 60 cm (2 to over 24 inches). This variation depends on the area and the time of year. In Minnesota, nest in large marshes composed of mixed sedge and bulrush, with cattails in deeper areas (Hanowski and Niemi 1990). The largest populations in North Dakota are in fens (bogs) with thick, soft mats of dead vegetation (Berkey 1991). In Manitoba, the birds are found in small boggy areas (Savaloja 1981). In the Great Lakes Region, nearly exclusively associated with CAREX spp. (Evers 1990). In Michigan, nest sites predominantly among the sedge CAREX LASIOCARPA (Bart et al. 1984, Bookhout and Stenzel 1987, Brewer et al. 1991). In Maine, found in damp, low-lying areas with water depths of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) in otherwise dried-out portions of floodplains with a senescent mat composed of previous year's sedge growth (Gibbs et al. 1991). Habitats in Maine contained low densities of sedge, rush, and grass stems compared to other areas. Birds will use freshly burned area for territories only if burned after they have arrived to the breeding area (Savaloja 1981). NON-BREEDING: grain fields in winter and when migrating. Winters in both freshwater and brackish marshes, as well as in dense, deep grass. During fall migration, will use many open habitats, from rice paddies to dry hayfields. Winters are spent in a variety of areas, including salt-marshes, grain fields, damp grassy meadows, and freshwater marshes. In the south, the bird winters in agricultural fields and occasionally in rice fields (Berkey 1991).

Male territories are an average of 7.8 ha (19 acres), and are established within one week of their arrival (Bookhout and Stenzel 1987). Territories may encompass multiple female activity areas. The activity areas used by females average 1.2 ha (3 acres) during pre-incubation, decreasing to 0.3 ha (0.7 acres) during incubation (Bookhout and Stenzel 1987). Adult birds are flightless for several weeks during molting (mid- to late August) (Savaloja 1981).

Sexual activity usually takes place in the late morning hours. Lay six to ten eggs per clutch (Savaloja 1981, Brewer et al. 1991) with eight being the average. In Minnesota and North Dakota eggs are laid in late May and early June (Savaloja 1981). Incubation begins after the last egg is laid and lasts 13 to 20 days (Harrison 1979, Savaloja 1981). Female incubates and does not leave the nest at night during this time. Within one day of hatching the young leave the nest and are cared for by female. The young can feed on their own at 11 days (Stenzel 1983). Fledge at five weeks (Stahlhelm 1974). Renesting may occur if initial nests are destroyed or unsuccessful.