Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus (California Black Rail)
Credit: Steve Beissinger
about the species
This subspecies of Black Rail is found almost solely in California. It inhabits densely-vegetated, very shallow wetlands in three distinct metapopulations: (i) the large (mean~ 30 ha) coastal marshes of San Francisco Bay and delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers (Central California Coast, Northern California Coast and Great Valley ecoregions), (ii) tiny marshes (mean ~ 0.5 ha) fed by irrigation water scattered on public and private lands through the Sierra Nevada foothills in Placer, Yuba, Nevada and Butte counties (Sierra Nevada Foothills and Great Valley ecoregions), and (iii) large and small marshes along the Salton Sea and lower Colorado River north of Yuma, Arizona to northern Baja California (Sonoran Desert and Colorado Desert ecoregions).
why species was selected
This threatened and state-listed subspecies has a very limited distribution. Genomics data will inform estimates of connectivity among metapopulations, effective population sizes, and genetic diversity.
