North American fauna . d January. Apparently the localpopulation is augmented by migratory populations from north ofFlorida. Evidence of local abundance in this area is based on theannual Audubon Society Christmas bird count conducted within a15-mile radius of Cocoa, Fla. (Cruickshank et al., 1953-66). Thenumbers of King Rails reported has ranged between 11 and 93 overthe past 14 years and averaged 40 per year. Cruickshank reports thatthe best localities are (a) fresh-water marshes around Lake Poinsett,a large lake in the St. Johns River, and (b) fresh-water marshes onMerritt Island. During th
North American fauna . d January. Apparently the localpopulation is augmented by migratory populations from north ofFlorida. Evidence of local abundance in this area is based on theannual Audubon Society Christmas bird count conducted within a15-mile radius of Cocoa, Fla. (Cruickshank et al., 1953-66). Thenumbers of King Rails reported has ranged between 11 and 93 overthe past 14 years and averaged 40 per year. Cruickshank reports thatthe best localities are (a) fresh-water marshes around Lake Poinsett,a large lake in the St. Johns River, and (b) fresh-water marshes onMerritt Island. During the period May 4-8, 1964, I examined some marshes inIndian River, Osceola, and Glades Counties. Approximately 10 milessouth of Fellsmere, Indian River County, at the junction of State 348-693 O—69—3 26 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 67 Highways 60 and 512, I found King Kails common where maiden-cane and pickerelweed formed a high percentage of the vegetation ofthe wetter marshes (fig. 10). Apple snails (Pomacea palmdosa), the,. Figuee 10.—Habitat of King Rail, 10 miles south of Fellsmere, Indian RiverCounty, Fla., April 1967. Marsh vegetation in foreground is mostly maideneane(Panicum hemitomon) and pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), in backgroundsawgrass (Cladium jamaicense). White waterlily (Nymphaea odorata) inpond left of center. Forest community is pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens).The density of King Rails in this area was estimated at 30 birds per hundredacres. major food of the Limpkin (Aramus guarauna), and the eggs ofthese snails, were scattered abundantly throughout the wetter marshes,but were absent from the drier ones. Houses of the round-tailedmuskrat (Neofiber alleni) were abundant in both wetter and driermarshes. Limpkins and rails use the tops of these houses as theirdinner tables. King Kails were most commonly in the drier estimated a density of approximately 30 birds per hundred acresin a tract on the east side of Highway 512 (table 3). On the Brighton Se
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Keywords: ., bookauthorun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology
