Effect of individual incubation effort on home range size in two rallid species (Aves: Rallidae)

Home range varies with individual traits, environment, and time, but studies relating variations to behavioural traits are scarce. We investigated variation in home-range size in nesting rallids in relation to incubation effort, sex, weight, available space, and food abundance. In Water Rail, individuals more involved in incubation had smaller home-ranges, regardless of sex, whereas in Little Crake both parents incubate with similar effort, and the main factor positively affecting home-range size was available space. Results suggested that home-range size during the nesting period may vary according to incubation behaviour, especially in species with high inter-individual variation in incubation effort.