To determine patterns of displacement, phenology, behavior, and habitat use of the Ridgway’s Rail (Yuma) (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis), the biological monitoring team placed satellite transmitters on 11 specimens of the species in the Hardy River and Ciénega de Santa Clara in the Colorado River Delta region.

Alejandra Calvo Fonseca, Sonora Biological Monitoring Coordinator, said the data received as part of this monitoring will facilitate evaluation of conservation initiatives and provide feedback on the Management Plan for the Upper Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve and Colorado River Delta. In addition, she explained that 20 individuals will be tracked during the first phase of monitoring.

The Ridgway’s Rail (Yuma) is a bird endemic to the Lower Colorado River basin, from Nevada, USA to the river delta in Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, and is protected in both countries. Thanks to the work of Pronatura Noroeste, it has been possible to document that 75% of the bird’s global population is located in the wetlands of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, specifically in the Ciénega de Santa Clara, Sonora.

This project is possible thanks to the support of the Walton Family Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sonoran Joint Venture, University of Idaho, National Audubon Society, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The biological monitoring team members are Alejandra Calvo Fonseca, Stefanny Villagomez, José Juan Butrón, Juan Butrón, Juan Carlos Medina, and Benito Rocha.

Learn more about this project: http://pronatura-noroeste.org/en/news/future-use-telemetry-study-yuma-ridgways-rail