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Breeding Range. (Fig. 121). Common (locally abundant) on the Southern Drift Plain and in the southern portion of the Missouri Coteau (from South Dakota boundary north through Wells, Kidder, and Burleigh Counties); fairly common (locally common) in the Turtle Mountains, on the Northeastern and Northwestern Drift Plains, and on the northwestern portion of the Missouri Coteau (from Sheridan County northwestward through Divide and Williams Counties); uncommon and local in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region and on the Coteau Slope; rare and local on the Missouri Slope and Little Missouri Slope--recorded in northwestern McKenzie County, and in Dunn and Bowman Counties.

Breeding Habitat. The principal breeding habitats for this species are stands of deep-marsh emergents in semipermanent ponds and lakes that are dominated by one or more of the following species: hardstem bulrush, alkali bulrush, river bulrush, and cattails. Stands of other deep-marsh or fen emergents are occasionally used, particularly slender bulrush and phragmites; and occasional pairs occur in stands of shallow-marsh emergents including whitetop and tall mannagrass.

From 1961 to 1969, the habitats occupied by 267 breeding pairs were recorded (H. A. Kantrud, RES): 32 percent of these pairs were in stands of hardstem bulrush, 19 percent in mixtures of hardstem bulrush and alkali bulrush, 17 percent in mixtures of hardstem bulrush and cattails, 9 percent in a mixture of river bulrush and phragmites, 5 percent in cattails, and 18 percent in other plant associations including: hardstem bulrush and river bulrush; hardstem bulrush and whitetop; river bulrush; slender bulrush and cattails; phragmites; alkali bulrush; cattails and whitetop; a mixture of sloughgrass, northern reedgrass, whitetop, and tall mannagrass; and river bulrush and whitetop.

Nesting. Breeding season: Mid-May to late August; peak, late May to early August. Newly completed nests without eggs were recorded as early as May 19 [1964] in Stutsman County (RES). Extreme egg dates (26 nests): May 26 [1964] to August 10 [1965] in Stutsman County (H. A. Kantrud, RES). Extreme nestling dates (7 nests): June 16 [1962] to August 6 [1965--very small young] in Stutsman County (H. A. Kantrud, RES).

Nests were situated in a variety of emergent marsh vegetative types as shown by the following records: hardstem bulrush, 12 nests; cattails, 4 nests; alkali bulrush, 4 nests; mixture of hardstem bulrush and whitetop, 2 nests; river bulrush, 1 nest; mixture of hardstem bulrush and alkali bulrush, 1 nest; and mixture of cattails and whitetop, 1 nest. For 23 nests, the distances of the nest entrances above water ranged from 7 to 25 inches and averaged 16 inches. Water depths at 19 nest sites ranged from 0 (wet soil) to 19 inches and averaged 12 inches.

Indicated clutch size (23 nests): 3 to 7 eggs; mean, 4.7 eggs.

Figure 121. Breeding Range of Long-billed Marsh Wren.