David P. Belcher

Results Of Georgia's Clapper Rail Banding Program

From 1973 through 1976, 2,066 clapper rails (Rallus longirostris) were banded at eight locations on the Georgia coast, using an airboat and night-lighting technique. Banding success was high with a maximum 2-hour catch of 87 rails, and an average banding rate of approximately 16 birds per hour. Most rails were banded during the preseason period with migration-winter banding limited by winter tide conditions. Band recoveries of Georgia clapper rails (R. t. waynei) suggested significantly more movement than was previously recorded in the literature. A direct recovery rate of 0.63 percent was...