Winter Detection of an Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) Fledgling and of Pair Formation Using Thermal Imaging

The Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) is a subspecies that winters mainly along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts of the United States. Declines in Eastern Black Rail populations throughout its range raised its federal status to Threatened, amplifying the need to monitor the species year-round. Due to the species' reduced detection probability in the winter, documenting and monitoring individuals during the non-breeding season is challenging and thus information on the early breeding phenology of Black Rails remains limited. In February of 2023 while conducting a multi-species rail monitoring project, we documented three male-female Black Rail pairs on the Texas Gulf Coast when using an unoccupied aerial vehicle (drone) equipped with a thermal camera. During drone flights in April, we recorded the earliest documented fledgling Black Rail. In this note, we outline our detailed observations of Black Rail winter pair formation, summarize our detections of a Black Rail fledgling, and discuss management and conservation concerns regarding early-season pair formation and egg-laying of Black Rails in coastal Texas.