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At least 1,783 records · Page 99Linked to original sources
USGS2022

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia hypugaea )

Keys to Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia hypugaea ) management include providing areas of short, sparse vegetation and maintaining populations of prey species and of burrowing mammals to ensure availability of burrows as nest sites. In particular, the conservation of black-tailed prairie dog ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) and Richardson’s ground squirrel ( Urocitellus richardsonii ) colonies is vital to the preservation of Burrowing Owls on the Great Plains. Burrowing Owls have been reported to use habitats with less than 31 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 5–12 cm visual obstruction reading, 12–36 percent grass cover, 29–45 percent forb cover, 1–11 percent shrub cover, 11–58 percent bare ground, and 6–27 percent litter cover.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2021

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

The key to Short-eared Owl ( Asio flammeus ) management is providing large grasslands and wetlands, particularly those that can support high densities of voles ( Microtus species). Short-eared Owls have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 7–47 cm visual obstruction reading, 31–85 percent grass cover, 8–26 percent forb cover, less than 18 percent shrub cover, 43 percent litter cover, and 1–2 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2023

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

The key to Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus ) management is providing open grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs for foraging, nesting, and perching. Loggerhead Shrikes have been reported to use habitats with 20–266 centimeters (cm) vegetation height, greater than or equal to (≥) 10 percent grass cover, 3–48 percent forb cover, 2–25 percent shrub cover, 3–40 percent bare ground, and 11–67 percent litter cover.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Horned Lark ( Eremophila alpestris )

The key to Horned Lark ( Eremophila alpestris ) management is maintaining areas with short, sparse vegetation by burning, mowing, or grazing. Horned Larks have been reported to use habitats with less than or equal to (≤) 70 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–26 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–67 percent grass cover, 3–70 percent forb cover, ≤21 percent shrub cover, 1–44 percent bare ground, ≤63 percent litter cover, and ≤9 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sedge Wren ( Cistothorus stellaris )

Keys to Sedge Wren ( Cistothorus stellaris ) management include providing tall, dense grasslands with moderate forb coverage and minimizing disturbances during the breeding season. Sedge Wrens have been reported to use habitats with 30–166 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 8–80 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–75 percent grass cover, 3–78 percent forb cover, less than or equal to (≤) 15 percent shrub cover, less than (<) 35 percent bare ground, 10–30 percent litter cover, and ≤6 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sprague’s Pipit ( Anthus spragueii )

Keys to Sprague’s Pipit ( Anthus spragueii ) management include providing suitable grassland habitat, especially native prairie, with intermediate vegetation height and low visual obstruction, and controlling succession therein. Sprague’s Pipits have been reported to use habitats with no more than 49 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–14 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–53 percent grass cover, less than (<) 21 percent forb cover, <18 percent shrub cover, <44 percent bare ground, 10–63 percent litter cover, and less than or equal to 11 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Chestnut-collared Longspur ( Calcarius ornatus )

Keys to Chestnut-collared Longspur ( Calcarius ornatus ) management are providing and maintaining native pastures with fairly short overall vegetation and sparse litter accumulation but with areas of taller and denser vegetation and accumulated litter for nesting, and tailoring grazing intensity to local conditions. Chestnut-collared Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 10–77 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 1–50 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–67 percent grass cover, 5–16 percent forb cover, less than (<) 6 percent shrub cover, 1–44 percent bare ground, 6–63 percent litter cover, and <7 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2019

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Thick-billed Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii)

The key to Thick-billed Longspur ( Rhynchophanes mccownii ) management is providing short, sparsely vegetated native grasslands of adequate size. Mixed-grass prairies can be made suitable for breeding Thick-billed Longspurs by implementing moderate-to-heavy or season-long grazing. Thick-billed Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 5–42 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–7 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–67 percent grass cover, less than (<) 8 percent forb cover, <7 percent shrub cover, 2–60 percent bare ground, 10–63 percent litter cover, and <5 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2023

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Clay-colored Sparrow ( Spizella pallida )

Keys to Clay-colored Sparrow ( Spizella pallida ) management include providing grasslands with a shrub or forb component or shrub-dominated edge habitat, which includes dense grass and moderately high litter cover, and avoiding disturbances that completely eliminate woody vegetation. Clay-colored Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 20–186 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–50 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–74 percent grass cover, 5–23 percent forb cover, less than 30 percent shrub cover, 1–20 percent bare ground, 10–63 percent litter cover, and less than or equal to 5 cm litter depth.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2017

Reassortment of influenza A viruses in wild birds in Alaska before H5 Clade 2.3.4.4 Outbreaks

Sampling of mallards in Alaska during September 2014–April 2015 identified low pathogenic avian influenza A virus (subtypes H5N2 and H1N1) that shared ancestry with highly pathogenic reassortant H5N2 and H5N1 viruses. Molecular dating indicated reassortment soon after interhemispheric movement of H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4, suggesting genetic exchange in Alaska or surrounds before outbreaks.

Emerging Infectious Diseases↗
USGS2024

RE-ARMing salt marshes: A resilience-experimentalist approach to prescribed fire and bird conservation in high marshes of the Gulf of Mexico

Uncertainty, complexity, and dynamic changes present challenges for conservation and natural resource management. Evidence-based approaches grounded in reliable information and rigorous analysis can enhance the navigation of the uncertainties and trade-offs inherent in conservation problems. This study highlights the importance of collaborative efforts and evidence-based decision-making, specifically implementing the Resilience-Experimentalist school of adaptive management (RE-ARM), which emphasizes stakeholder involvement, shared understanding, and experimentation. Our goal was to develop an adaptive management framework to reduce the uncertainty around the use of prescribed fire to manage the habitat for eastern black rails ( Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis ) and mottled ducks ( Anas fulvigula ) in saltmarshes of the Gulf of Mexico. Supported by discussions at a series of workshops, we used a value of information analysis to select a fire management hypothesis to test, developed an influence diagram to represent the system under fire management, used the influence diagram to develop a Bayesian decision network (BDN), and conducted a power analysis to guide management experiments and monitoring. Value of information analysis identified fire return interval as the critical uncertainty. Our BDN provided valuable insight into how managers believe prescribed fire influences vegetation characteristics and how vegetation influences both eastern black rail occupancy and mottled duck abundance. The results of the power analysis indicated that a standard occupancy modeling framework was more useful to compare 2- and 5-year fire return intervals for black rails than two alternative designs (removal and conditional). Our BDN can be used to predict the probability of achieving the desirable vegetative response to increase the occupancy probability of black rails and abundance of mottled ducks, and monitoring data can be used to update the BDN (learn) and improve best management practices for prescribed burns (adapt). Linking the value of information, BDNs, and power analysis enhances our understanding of the system, improves management decision-making, and builds trust among scientists, interested parties, and decision-makers. This approach lays the groundwork for knowledge co-production and adaptive management.

Frontiers in Conservation Science↗
USGS2010

Using a distribution and conservation status weighted hotspot approach to identify areas in need of conservation action to benefit Idaho bird species

Identification of biodiversity hotspots (hereafter, hotspots) has become a common strategy to delineate important areas for wildlife conservation. However, the use of hotspots has not often incorporated important habitat types, ecosystem services, anthropogenic activity, or consistency in identifying important conservation areas. The purpose of this study was to identify hotspots to improve avian conservation efforts for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the state of Idaho, United States. We evaluated multiple approaches to define hotspots and used a unique approach based on weighting species by their distribution size and conservation status to identify hotspot areas. All hotspot approaches identified bodies of water (Bear Lake, Grays Lake, and American Falls Reservoir) as important hotspots for Idaho avian SGCN, but we found that the weighted approach produced more congruent hotspot areas when compared to other hotspot approaches. To incorporate anthropogenic activity into hotspot analysis, we grouped species based on their sensitivity to specific human threats (i.e., urban development, agriculture, fire suppression, grazing, roads, and logging) and identified ecological sections within Idaho that may require specific conservation actions to address these human threats using the weighted approach. The Snake River Basalts and Overthrust Mountains ecological sections were important areas for potential implementation of conservation actions to conserve biodiversity. Our approach to identifying hotspots may be useful as part of a larger conservation strategy to aid land managers or local governments in applying conservation actions on the ground.

Idaho↗
USGS2001

Experimental infection of nontarget species of rodents and birds with Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccine

The Brucella abortus vaccine strain RB51 (SRB51) is being considered for use in the management of brucellosis in wild bison ( Bison bison ) and elk ( Cervus elaphus ) populations in the Greater Yellowstone Area (USA). Evaluation of the vaccine's safety in non-target species was considered necessary prior to field use. Between June 1998 and December 1999, ground squirrels ( Spermophilus richardsonii , n = 21), deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus , n = 14), prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster , n = 21), and ravens ( Corvus corax , n = 13) were orally inoculated with SRB51 or physiologic saline. Oral and rectal swabs and blood samples were collected for bacteriologic evaluation. Rodents were necropsied at 8 to 10 wk and 12 to 21 wk post inoculation (PI), and ravens at 7 and 11 wk PI. Spleen, liver and reproductive tissues were collected for bacteriologic and histopathologic evaluation. No differences in clinical signs, appetite, weight loss or gain, or activity were observed between saline- and SRB51-inoculated animals in all four species. Oral and rectal swabs from all species were negative throughout the study. In tissues obtained from SRB51-inoculated animals, the organism was isolated from six of seven (86%) ground squirrels, one of six (17%) deer mice, none of seven voles, and one of five (20%) ravens necropsied at 8, 8, 10, and 7 wk PI, respectively. Tissues from four of seven (57%) SRB51-inoculated ground squirrels were culture positive for the organism 12 wk PI; SRB51 was not recovered from deer mice, voles, or ravens necropsied 12, 21, or 11 wk, respectively, PI. SRB51 was not recovered from saline-inoculated ground squirrels, deer mice, or voles at any time but was recovered from one saline-inoculated raven at necropsy, 7 wk PI, likely attributable to contact with SRB51-inoculated ravens in an adjacent aviary room. Spleen was the primary tissue site of colonization in ground squirrels, followed by the liver and reproductive organs. The results indicate oral exposure to SRB51 does not produce morbibity or mortality in ravens, ground squirrels, deer mice, or prairie voles.

Colorado, Montana, Wyoming↗