Several secretive marsh bird (SMB) species are both migrants and breeders in Missouri. The degree to which individual birds stay to nest in Missouri versus continuing north to breed is unknown and has resulted in uncertainty regarding the role of Missouri’s wetlands for this group of birds. We initiated a SMB project that sought to answer one of the key uncertainties identified by many MDC conservation area managers, namely whether wetland management decisions result in conditions that emulate water system processes that enable secretive marsh bird (SMB) species to fulfill their life history requirements while in Missouri. Despite several SMB species being listed as ‘Critically Imperiled’ in Missouri, there is very little information on SMB distribution and habitat use within the state, resulting in uncertainty regarding the role of Missouri’s wetlands in providing either migrating or breeding habitat for SMB. Objectives for the project were: 1) to evaluate how presence of migrating and nesting SMB in Missouri wetlands are influenced by water-level management practices and resulting habitat conditions and 2) to determine the effects of water management and habitat characteristics on SMB nest site habitat selection and daily nest survival at two spatial scales: the nest point and the individual wetland.
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