Wetland Management is a Key Predictor of Occupancy and Abundance of Breeding King Rails (Rallus elegans)

King Rails (Rallus elegans) are secretive, obligate freshwater marsh birds. King Rail populations have declined range-wide, heightening concern for their persistence and leading to increased need for conservation measures on public lands. Freshwater coastal marshes were surveyed within a ∼30 km radius of a well-studied breeding population on a national wildlife refuge. We used standardized broadcasts of species-specific calls to detect King Rails. Vegetation surveys were conducted to estimate wetland cover types and habitat structure. Model selection was conducted to identify factors that predict occupancy and abundance. King Rail occupancy and abundance was positively related to wetland management and negatively related to presence of woody vegetation. Based on a Royle-Nichols model, the number of breeding individuals among 58 plots (∼730 ha total) was estimated to be 437 ± 218. Mean abundance and occupancy probabilities were higher at sites with more than ten years of management to maintain emergent marsh in an early successional state. A relatively stable breeding population of King Rails is resident in this region. Wetland management, primarily consisting of prescribed burns, has likely contributed to their success here. Sea level rise and salt-water intrusion threaten these marshes, highlighting the importance of monitoring King Rail populations to ensure their continued survival.