Nest Site Characteristics and Nest Success of Spruce Grouse

1978 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Keppie ◽  
Patrick W. Herzog
1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Storey

The relationship between nest site characteristics and nest success during tidal flooding was studied in six New Jersey colonies of marsh-nesting common terns (Sterna hirundo). Most colonies were on high ground with a northeast water exposure, and almost all nests were on mats of dead vegetation. Terns nested on the thickest areas of the mats and, whether nesting on mats or on the ground, they selected nest sites with low vegetation density. The characteristics of successful nests differed with the height and date of the flood tide, and with wind direction. In the 1975 flood, nests on high ground were more successful, whereas nests in tall grass and on large mats successfully survived tidal flooding in 1976. Because grass height and ground height are negatively correlated in the marsh, it is difficult for the terns to maximize both characteristics when selecting a nest site. The large mats associated with flood survival in 1976 were also associated with higher prédation rates, indicating a further complication in selecting a safe nest site. Data from these floods were compared with floods studied by other researchers to further test whether certain nest site characteristics are associated with nest success in different types of floods.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Rebholz ◽  
W. Douglas Robinson ◽  
Michael D. Pope

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Campbell ◽  
Adam Smith ◽  
Stephen Redpath ◽  
Simon Thirgood

Waterbirds ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Olmos ◽  
Robson Silva E Silva ◽  
Fabio Olmos

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R Anthony ◽  
Christian A Hagen ◽  
Katie M Dugger ◽  
R Dwayne Elmore

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.


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