 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
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Atlas Results
Yellow Rails proved rather elusive during the survey years being detected in only 22 squares. Most detections emanated from the Aspen Parkland and southern regions of the boreal forest, the latter aided by autonomous recording units (ARU) set to record at intervals at night when Yellow Rails are vocally active. Two detections were made south of Saskatoon, one of which was from an ARU deployed at the Bradwell National Wildlife Area, and another was heard west of Chaplin. Increasingly dry conditions throughout the atlas years are likely to have reduced the availability of the Yellow Rail's favoured seasonal sedge meadows south of the boreal forest.
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
This secretive bird slips silently through the grasses like a phantom, barely keeping out of the way of one's feet. The observer may be within inches ... and yet never catch a glimpse (Bookhout 1995). The Yellow Rail breeds in scattered sedge marshes from Great Slave Lake east to New Brunswick, and into the northern fringes of states from Montana to Maine, with isolated populations in Oregon and, at least formerly, Mexico. It winters in coastal marshes from North Carolina to south Texas.
On their breeding grounds, Yellow Rails are typically found in "seasonal wetlands containing sedge? (Prescott et al. 2002), with shallow water levels that may dry up by the end of the summer (Bookhout and Stenzel 1987, Popper and Stern 2000). Due to fluctuations in water level, wetland suitability for this species varies from year to year. The best and most stable sites are spring-fed fens (ARS).
The Yellow Rail is listed as a species of Special Concern in Canada (COSEWIC 2009b). Populations are believed to have declined throughout southern portions of its range, likely due to extensive wetland habitat loss to agriculture and urban development. Given the secretive nature of this species and its being primarily detected at night, knowledge of population size and distribution is relatively limited. Yellow Rails may be more abundant and widespread than is currently known.
Original text by Kristen Martin. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Yellow Rail in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Yellow Rail in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=YERA&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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