The status and habitat of Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana in Britain in 1999

Abstract

Capsule The first Britain-wide survey of Spotted Crakes Parzana parzana undertaken in 1999 recorded 73 singing males mostly in wet herb habitats with peak records in May. Aims To provide baseline information on the number and distribution of breeding Spotted Crakes and a description of their preferred habitat in Britain. Methods Volunteers and site wardens/managers visited sites at which Spotted Crakes had been recorded 1988-98. High priority sites were visited once a week during May and June (at least eight visits), while remaining sites each received three visits. General habitat data were collected, both from an area of 5 m x 5 m surrounding the Spotted Crake singing locations and from ten randomly selected 5 m x 5 m squares within sites. Results Seventy-three singing male Spotted Crakes were recorded at 29 sites in England, Wales and Scotland during May and June. Seven additional singing males were recorded outside the survey period, and at three sites juveniles were seen yet no song was heard. Records peaked in May, although Spotted Crakes sang later in the north. At the landscape level, singing Spotted Crakes were characterized by dominant wet herb species, 35% standing water (4.5-17.3 cm deep) and tall (>70 cm) vegetation. Within sites, Spotted Crake chose more mosaic vegetation, characterized by wet grass species, greater water cover and shorter vegetation. Conclusion Spotted crakes are more than a sporadic breeding visitor to Britain, but better monitoring is required to understand the population trends. A basic insight into habitat preferences provides a starting point for further studies.