Factors affecting nest-site selection and nest success of translocated greater sage grouse

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick J. Baxter ◽  
Jerran T. Flinders ◽  
David G. Whiting ◽  
Dean L. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Embryo Viability ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Crown Area ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Extant Population

Translocations have been used for decades to restore or augment wildlife populations, yet more often than not, little to no data and/or arbitrary means are used for determining translocation success. The objectives of our study were to describe nesting habitat utilised by the greater sage grouse translocated into an extant population and to identify factors related to nest success, thereby demonstrating the adaptability of the birds to their new environment and producing one measure of long-term translocation success. We trapped female grouse individuals during the spring on and near leks of source populations, fitted them with radio-transmitters, and released them in the morning onto an active lek in an extant population in Strawberry Valley, Utah. We monitored translocated females for nesting activity and documented nesting attempts, nest success, clutch size and embryo viability. Data were recorded on habitat variables associated with nest sites and paired-random sites, including factors known to be important for resident females that nested successfully. We used logistic regression and an a priori information-theoretic approach for modelling nest v. paired-random sites and successful v. unsuccessful nest sites. Our analyses suggested that crown area of the nest shrub and percentage grass cover were the two variables that discriminated between nest and paired-random sites. Females that nested successfully selected sites with more total shrub canopy cover, intermediate size-shrub crown area, aspects other than NW and SE, and steeper slopes than for unsuccessful nests. After being translocated from distant sites with differing habitat characteristics, these birds were able to initiate a nest, nest successfully, and select micro-habitat features similar to those selected by resident sage grouse across the species range. Our results demonstrate the adaptability of the translocated female sage grouse individuals and produce one tangible measure of long-term translocation success.

scholarly journals Greater Sage-Grouse nest bowls buffer microclimate in a post-megafire landscape although effects on nest survival are marginal

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R Anthony ◽  
Christian A Hagen ◽  
Katie M Dugger ◽  
R Dwayne Elmore
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Bare Ground ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Visual Obstruction

Abstract Temperature at fine spatial scales is an important driver of nest site selection for many avian species during the breeding season and can influence nest success. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities have areas with high levels of vegetation heterogeneity and high thermal variation; however, fire removes vegetation that provides protection from predators and extreme environmental conditions. To examine the influence of microclimates on Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest site selection and nest success in a fire-affected landscape, we measured black bulb temperature (Tbb) and vegetation attributes (e.g., visual obstruction) at 3 spatial scales (i.e. nest bowl, microsite, and landscape) in unburned and burned areas. Nest bowls exhibited greater buffering of Tbb than both nearby microsites and the broader landscape. Notably, nest bowls were warmer in cold temperatures, and cooler in hot temperatures, than nearby microsites and the broader landscape, regardless of burn stage. Nest survival (NS) was higher for nests in unburned areas compared to nests in burned areas (unburned NS = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33–0.54; burned NS = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10–0.46). The amount of bare ground was negatively associated with NS, but effects diminished as the amount of bare ground reached low levels. Shrub height and visual obstruction were positively associated with NS during the entire study period, whereas minimum Tbb had a weaker effect. Our findings demonstrate that thermoregulatory selection by Greater Sage-Grouse at nest sites had marginal effects on their NS. However, given that increases in vegetation structure (e.g., shrub height) provide thermal refuge and increase NS, vegetation remnants or regeneration in a post-fire landscape could be critical to Greater Sage-Grouse nesting ecology.

scholarly journals Nest-site selection and breeding success of passerines in the world’s southernmost forests

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9892
Author(s):  
Rocío Fernanda Jara ◽  
Ramiro Daniel Crego ◽  
Michael David Samuel ◽  
Ricardo Rozzi ◽  
Jaime Enrique Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Additional Hypothesis ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Risk Of Predation

Background Birds can maximize their reproductive success through careful selection of nest-sites. The ‘total-foliage’ hypothesis predicts that nests concealed in vegetation should have higher survival. We propose an additional hypothesis, the ‘predator proximity’ hypothesis, which states that nests placed farther from predators would have higher survival. We examined these hypotheses in the world’s southernmost forests of Navarino Island, in the Cape Horn Biosphere reserve, Chile (55°S). This island has been free of mammalian ground predators until recently, and forest passerines have been subject to depredation only by diurnal and nocturnal raptors. Methods During three breeding seasons (2014–2017), we monitored 104 nests for the five most abundant open-cup forest-dwelling passerines (Elaenia albiceps, Zonotrichia capensis, Phrygilus patagonicus, Turdus falcklandii, and Anairetes parulus). We identified nest predators using camera traps and assessed whether habitat characteristics affected nest-site selection and survival. Results Nest predation was the main cause of nest failure (71% of failed nests). Milvago chimango was the most common predator, depredating 13 (87%) of the 15 nests where we could identify a predator. By contrast, the recently introduced mammal Neovison vison, the only ground predator, depredated one nest (7%). Species selected nest-sites with more understory cover and taller understory, which according to the total-foliage hypothesis would provide more concealment against both avian and mammal predators. However, these variables negatively influenced nest survival. The apparent disconnect between selecting nest-sites to avoid predation and the actual risk of predation could be due to recent changes in the predator assemblage driven by an increased abundance of native M. chimango associated with urban development, and/or the introduction of exotic mammalian ground predators to this island. These predator assemblage changes could have resulted in an ecological trap. Further research will be needed to assess hypotheses that could explain this mismatch between nest-site selection and nest survival.

scholarly journals Nesting Ecology of White-Winged Scoters (Melanitta Fusca Deglandi) at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan

The Auk ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 950-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Traylor ◽  
Ray T. Alisauskas ◽  
F. Patrick Kehoe
Keyword(s):  
Function Analysis ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Nesting Ecology ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Melanitta Fusca

Abstract Population surveys indicate a trend of declining abundance of scoters (Melanitta spp.) in North America. Little is known about changes in life-history traits that may be responsible for the recent population decline of White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca deglandi). Therefore, we studied nesting ecology of White-winged Scoters at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan, during the summers of 2000–2001. We found 198 nests and examined nest-site selection by comparing habitat features of successful nests, depredated nests, and random sites. Discriminant function analysis differentiated habitat features—measured at hatch—of successful nests, depredated nests, and random sites; lateral (r = 0.66) and overhead (r = 0.35) concealment were microhabitat variables most correlated with canonical discriminant functions. We also modeled daily survival rate of nests as a function of year, linear and quadratic trends with nest age, nest initiation date, and seven microhabitat variables. Nest survival from a time-constant model (i.e. Mayfield nest-success estimate) was 0.35 (95% CL: 0.27, 0.43). Estimates of nest success were lower than those measured at Redberry Lake in the 1970s and 1980s. Nest survival increased throughout the laying period and stabilized during incubation, and showed positive relationships with nest concealment and distance to water and a negative relationship with distance to edge. Considering those factors, a model-averaged estimate of nest survival was 0.24 (95% CL: 0.09, 0.42). We concluded that White-winged Scoters selected nesting habitat adaptively, because (1) successful sites were more concealed than depredated sites; (2) nest sites (both successful and depredated) had higher concealment than random sites; and (3) nest sites were on islands, where success is greater than on the mainland.

scholarly journals Effects of Nest Habitat, Food, and Parental Behavior on Shorebird Nest Success

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Allen Smith ◽  
H Grant Gilchrist ◽  
James N.M Smith
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Nest Distribution ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Nest Habitat ◽  
Charadrius Semipalmatus

Abstract Abstract In environments such as arctic tundra, where bird densities are low and habitats are comparatively homogeneous, suitable nest sites likely are not limited. Under these conditions, reproductive success of birds may be determined by factors other than the habitat characteristics of nest sites. We studied the relative influence of nest habitat, food, nest distribution, and parental behavior on the reproductive success of tundra-breeding shorebirds at East Bay, Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada. From 2000 to 2002, we monitored the nests of five species: Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), and Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). For each species, habitat differed between nest sites and random sites. In contrast, habitat differed between successful and failed nest sites only for White-rumped Sandpipers. Shorebirds did not prefer to nest in habitats where food was most abundant. Although nest success varied among species in all years, artificial nest experiments suggested that interspecific variation in predation rate was not related to habitat type. Instead, the marked interspecific variation in nest success may have been related to incubation behavior. Species taking fewer incubation recesses had higher nest success, although these results should be viewed as preliminary. The factor with the greatest interannual influence on nest success was fluctuating predation pressure, apparently related to the abundance of predators and lemmings.

scholarly journals Female Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) choose nest sites that produce offspring with phenotypes likely to improve fitness

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 1215-1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Peet-Paré ◽  
G. Blouin-Demers
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
First Year ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Offspring Fitness ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Random Site ◽  
Second Year

Nest-site selection is an important behaviour in oviparous reptiles because incubation conditions affect offspring phenotype, with favourable conditions leading to higher offspring fitness. We aimed to identify the habitat characteristics involved in nest-site selection in Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes ( Heterodon platirhinos Latreille, 1801) and to determine whether females select nest sites that result in offspring with phenotypes likely to improve fitness. We compared the habitat characteristics and temperature profiles of 21 nests with 21 randomly selected sites. Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes selected open, grassy sites with less herbs and shrubs than random sites, and nests were significantly warmer than random sites during the 2 years of the study. In the second year of the study, we incubated 215 eggs from eight nests in a split-clutch design at mean nest (24 °C) and random site (22 °C) temperatures approximating those of the first year of the study. Eggs incubated at 24 °C resulted in neonates that hatched earlier, had fewer scale anomalies, were larger, and swam faster than neonates from eggs incubated at 22 °C. Our results indicate that Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes select nest sites that lead to offspring with phenotypes likely to improve fitness.

Impacts of roads associated with the Ekati Diamond MineTM, Northwest Territories, Canada, on reproductive success and breeding habitat of Lapland Longspurs

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (10) ◽  
pp. 1286-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean K Male ◽  
Erica Nol
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Dust Deposition ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Calcarius Lapponicus

We examined the effects of roads associated with the Ekati Diamond MineTM, Nortwest Territories, Canada, on reproductive success and breeding habitat of Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus (L., 1758)) by comparing these attributes on study sites located directly beside and at least 5 km away from roads. No significant differences between roads and reference sites were detected for first-egg dates, clutch size, mean nestling mass on the 7th day following hatch, or daily nest survival. We found no evidence that Lapland Longspurs were avoiding nest sites located near roads. Recorded frequencies of male song overlapped with the harmonics of heavy-truck noise. Snow-water equivalent and percent cover of mosses were significantly higher on reference sites, while soil moisture and dust deposition were higher on road sites. Dust suppressant applied midway through the breeding season significantly reduced dust deposition. Lapland Longspur nest sites had significantly higher percent cover of graminoids and of shrubs and forbs, and significantly lower percent cover of lichens than random sites, an effect that occurred both near and distant from roads. Currently, there appears to be no measurable effect of roads associated with the Ekati Diamond MineTM on current territorial choice and reproductive performance of Lapland Longspurs. Observed differences in habitat characteristics between reference plots and road plots suggest that long-term changes in the vegetation community may occur that could affect nest-site selection of Lapland Longspurs.

The importance of using the proper methodology and spatial scale in the study of habitat selection by birds

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1835-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Pribil ◽  
Jaroslav Picman
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Site Preferences ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Nest-site preferences of birds have traditionally been inferred from correlations between reproductive success and various habitat attributes. Because there are several problems associated with this method, we examined preferences by comparing characteristics of actual nest sites with those of sites available to females at the time of their settlement. We examined these preferences on two spatial scales using the marsh-nesting Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). On the broad spatial scale, univariate analyses established that female settlement was nonrandom with respect to four of five habitat characteristics. However, a multivariate analysis revealed that females settled nonrandomly only with respect to water depth (they preferred areas located in deep water). The other characteristics, including cattail density, were not important. On the narrow spatial scale, females preferred sites located in dense cattail clumps that were surrounded by unusually sparse cattail vegetation. The preference of female redwings for deep-water areas was not detected in an earlier study conducted in the same marsh using the traditional method. In addition, if we were to have examined female preferences on the broad scale only, we would have failed to recognize the importance of cattail density in nest-site selection. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of examining nest-site selection using an appropriate method and multiple spatial scales.

scholarly journals Rusty Blackbird Habitat Selection and Survivorship during Nesting and Post-Fledging

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Wohner ◽  
Carol R. Foss ◽  
Robert J. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Fledgling Survival ◽  
Euphagus Carolinus ◽  
Rusty Blackbird ◽  
Habitat Variables

Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) populations have declined dramatically since the 1970s and the cause of decline is still unclear. As is the case for many passerines, most research on rusty blackbirds occurs during the nesting period. Nest success is relatively high in most of the rusty blackbird’s range, but survival during the post-fledging period, when fledgling songbirds are particularly vulnerable, has not been studied. We assessed fledgling and adult survivorship and nest success in northern New Hampshire from May to August in 2010 to 2012. We also assessed fledgling and adult post-fledging habitat selection and nest-site selection. The likelihood of rusty blackbirds nesting in a given area increased with an increasing proportion of softwood/mixed-wood sapling stands and decreasing distances to first to sixth order streams. Wetlands were not selected for nest sites, but both adults and fledglings selected wetlands for post-fledging habitat. Fledglings and adults selected similar habitat post-fledging, but fledglings were much more likely to be found in habitat with an increasing proportion of softwood/mixed-wood sapling stands and were more likely to be closer to streams than adults. No habitat variables selected during nesting or post-fledging influenced daily survival rates, which were relatively low for adults over the 60-day study periods (males 0.996, females 0.998). Fledgling survival rates (0.89) were much higher than reported for species of similar size.

scholarly journals Nest Site Selection and Nest Success in a Song Sparrow Population: The Significance of Spatial Variation

The Condor ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary K. Chase
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Melospiza Melodia ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Patch Choice ◽  
Baccharis Pilularis ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract I tested the hypothesis that individual Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) choose nesting microhabitat that reduces their risk of nest predation, using two years of data (n = 196 nests) from two adjacent sites in California coastal scrub, one grazed and one ungrazed. Nesting habitat was compared between nest patches and random locations, and between successful and unsuccessful nests. In both sites, nest patch habitat differed significantly in structure and plant species composition from habitat available within territories. However, of six habitat characteristics associated with nest patch choice, only two were related to nest success, and that relationship differed between the two study sites. Only in the grazed site was the amount of coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis) in the nest patch positively associated with both nest site selection and nest success. In contrast, coyote bush was unrelated to nest site choice and had a nonlinear relationship with nest success in the ungrazed site, such that nests surrounded by intermediate amounts of coyote bush had the lowest probability of success. In the grazed site, nests surrounded by intermediate amounts of rushes (Juncus spp.) were also less successful. Nests built in larger, discrete patches of vegetation were more successful in the ungrazed site, but not in the grazed site. Although the sites differed greatly in the amount of preferred nest microhabitat available, there was no difference between the sites in the overall rate of nest success (23–32%). I suggest that spatial variation in the relationship between nest habitat and nest outcome may favor flexible nest-site preferences in this population. Selección de Sitios de Nidificación y Éxito de los Nidos en una Población de Melospiza melodia: La Importancia de la Variación Espacial Resumen. Evalué la hipótesis que dice que los individuos de Melospiza melodia eligen nidificar en microhábitats que reducen el riesgo de depredación de los nidos. Utilicé datos de dos años (n = 196 nidos) provenientes de dos sitios adyacentes, uno pastoreado y otro sin pastoreo, ubicados en matorral costero de California. El hábitat de nidificación fue comparado entre parches con nidos y localidades aleatorias, y entre nidos exitosos y no exitosos. En ambos sitios el hábitat de los parches con nidos fue significativamente diferente en la estructura y composición de especies de plantas comparado con el hábitat disponible dentro de los territorios. Sin embargo, de seis características de hábitat asociadas con la elección del parche de nidificación, sólo dos estuvieron relacionadas con el éxito de los nidos, y esta relación difirió entre los sitios estudiados. Sólo en los sitios con pastoreo hubo una asociación positiva entre la cantidad de matas de Baccharis pilularis en los parches y la selección de sitios para nidificar y el éxito de los nidos. En contraste, B. pilularis no se relacionó con la selección del lugar de nidificación en sitios no pastoreados, y tuvo una relación no lineal con el éxito reproductivo, de modo que los nidos rodeados por cantidades intermedias de B. pilularis presentaron la menor probabilidad de éxito. En los sitios pastoreados, los nidos rodeados por cantidades intermedias de Juncus spp. también fueron los menos exitosos. En sitios sin pastoreo, los nidos construidos en parches de vegetación grandes y discretos fueron los más exitosos, pero esto no ocurrió en sitios pastoreados. Aunque los sitios fueron sumamente distintos en relación a la cantidad disponible de microhábitat preferido para nidificar, no presentaron diferencias en la tasa general de éxito de los nidos (23–32%). Sugiero que la variación espacial en la relación entre el hábitat y el éxito de los nidos puede favorecer la flexibilidad en la preferencia de sitios de nidificación en esta población.

Do Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) choose nest sites adaptively?

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Simmons ◽  
P. C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Nest Success ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Provisioning Rate ◽  
Circus Cyaneus ◽  
Optimum Foraging

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) nest success was studied in relation to habitat choices and availability from 1980 to 1982 in New Brunswick. Measurements of moisture, vegetation, and visibility at nest sites indicated that harriers most often used wet sites surrounded by cattails, with high visibility. Moisture and vegetation had a significant effect on nest success (p < 0.03), while visibility played no significant role. Discriminant analysis indicated that of the three variables, moisture was consistently the best predictor of nest success over 3 years (≥ 64%). Paradoxically, the order of settling by females was weakly correlated with the quality of nest sites in these years, yet choice was not limited by availability. We suggest, therefore, that nest site selection was a compromise between a wet nest site, close proximity to optimum foraging habitat, and, for females, access to a mate with a high food provisioning rate.

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