Implementation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) altered the interspersion and abundance of patches of different land-cover types in landscapes of the southeastern United States. Because northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are experiencing significant population declines throughout most of their range, including the Southeast, it is critical to understand the impacts of landscape-scale changes in habitat on their reproductive rates. Our objective was to identify components of landscape structure important in predicting nest site selection by bobwhites at different spatial scales in the Upper Coastal Plain of Georgia. We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial analysis software to calculate metrics of landscape structure near bobwhite nest sites. Logistic regression was used to model the relationship of nest sites to structure within the surrounding landscape at 4 spatial scales. We found that patch density and open-canopy planted pine were consistently important predictor variables at multiple scales, and other variables were important at various scales. The density of different patch types could be increased by thinning rows of pines in large monotypic stands of closed-canopy planted pine stands. Thinning and creating openings in CRP pine plantations should provide increased nesting opportunities for bobwhites. We interpret the support for other variables in our analysis as an indication that various patch configuration lead to different combinations of landscape structure that provide an acceptable range of habitat conditions for bobwhites. JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 69(4):1528-1537; 2005
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Human hunting activity and disturbance can significantly impact prey species through both consumptive and nonconsumptive effects. The nonconsumptive effects of rabbit hunting on Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) are currently unknown. Increased perceived risk of predation by bobwhite during rabbit hunting events may elicit antipredator responses among bobwhite that impact fitness via changes in behavior that ultimately impact population growth. We estimated the nonconsumptive effects of rabbit hunting on bobwhite behavior using telemetry across varying rabbit hunting intensities. Movements were analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical modeling with a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) design to determine the effect of rabbit hunting on bobwhite. We observed an overall reduction in bobwhite movement in the presence of rabbit hunting, with a 38% (Posterior Overlap = 0.01) increase in bobwhite step length in the absence of rabbit hunting. We also observed bobwhite maintaining closer proximity to hardwood and escape cover under high rabbit hunting intensity, with a 59% (Posterior Overlap = 0.03) increase in distance from hardwood and a 28% (Posterior Overlap = 0.14) increase in distance from escape cover when rabbit hunting was removed. Synthesis and applications. Heightened antipredator behavior through decreased movement may assist with bobwhite predator avoidance. However, decreased movement and increased use of poor habitats may also have negative effects as a result of reduced foraging time or increased susceptibility to other predators. Future research should attempt to quantify the effect of decreased movement on bobwhite fitness through the evaluation of foraging time and survival in order to continue to improve management efforts for the species.
The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an ecologically and economically valuable species in the United States. Managers rely on autumn density estimates to set harvest regulations, balancing the interests of hunters and long‐term bobwhite population viability. Spatial capture‐recapture (SCR) is a useful framework for estimating population size and modeling spatial variation in density. We used SCR to quantify the effect of landscape structure on spatial variation in density for a population of bobwhites on the Di‐Lane Wildlife Management Area in Waynesboro, Georgia, USA. Without additional telemetry or nesting data, we were also able to estimate a spatially explicit metric of productivity. To sample the population, we deployed a fixed array of 395, 262, and 268 funnel traps in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively. We estimated age structure, with the highest density of juveniles (0.32 birds/ha, 95% CI = 0.28–0.37) and adults (0.10 birds/ha, 95% CI = 0.08–0.12) estimated in 2016. In our top model, density was negatively related to the proportion of closed canopy hardwoods. To increase bobwhite density on the landscape, managers should reduce the amount of closed canopy hardwood forest. Furthermore, the spatially explicit age ratio we estimated could be used to target management towards increasing the recruitment of chicks into the autumn population. An SCR approach may require additional logistical and financial resources relative to other data collection methods, but it makes modeling spatial variation in density straightforward and can be used to gather data to simultaneously understand population structure, vital rates, and movement. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
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