BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Little is known of the greater roadrunner's (Geococcyx californianus; roadrunner) ecology and many demographic questions are difficult to answer because of our inability to determine adult bird sex in the field. We collected measurements from live-captured roadrunners of known sex in Fisher County, Texas, USA, and from roadrunner specimens from museums and university biological collections from 2003 to 2012 to develop a predictive logistic regression model for adult sex determination. We measured 433 adult birds of which 80% (n ¼ 346) were randomly chosen to build potential models. Our best model included the variable estimate bill depth, which was found to be larger in males and correctly classified 80% of the birds. We validated the model with the remaining 20% of measurements (n ¼ 87) and correctly identified the sex of 85% of the birds. Because this model incorporated roadrunners from across their range, it provides an easy, inexpensive, accurate, and field-relevant methodology for sex determination of adult roadrunners at the point of capture. Ó 2014 The Wildlife Society.
North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) have expanded their range into central Texas and are now frequent users of caves as den sites. What remains unknown is how caves affect their home range, and their local habitat preferences. This information is important for management decisions on Joint Base San Antonio – Camp Bullis where novel and abundant porcupine scat in caves could jeopardize federally endangered cave-obligate arthropods by allowing for the invasion of less specialized terrestrial species. To better understand porcupine home range and habitat use at Camp Bullis, we trapped four porcupines at cave entrances and fitted them with GPS collars. The 95% home range averaged 71.3 ha for females and measured 420.6 ha for the male. The 50% core habitat averaged 55.4 ha for females and measured 7.4 ha for the male. Porcupines typically stayed near the den-cave trap site except when visiting more diverse mixed forest patches. At the landscape and point levels, individuals selected for forested cover and avoided open areas. At the home range level, individuals selected for bare ground and roads, which were likely used to get from the cave den site to feed at mixed forest patches. Typically solitary, individuals in this study tolerated sharing a cave. Because of the small sample size and single sampling location, this study represents a pilot study and additional research is needed to establish concrete conclusions. Should cave managers need to limit the cave use by porcupines, a cave gate, exclosure, or reduction of forested cover would make caves less desirable.
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