Behavioral ecology and habitat relationships of long-billed curlew in western Idaho

Jenni, Donald A.; Bammann, Al.; Bibles, D. Dean; Bicak, Thomas K.; Kochert, Michael N.; Rath, Mike.; Redmond, Roland L.; Sands, Alan R.; Sherrets, Bud.; Thomason, Teresa.; Tripp, Alan.

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.153821

Cited by 7 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Many researchers have reported high breeding densities of long-billed curlews to be found in habitats undergoing light to moderate grazing (Pampush 1980, Ohanjanian 1987, Redmond and Jenni 1986). However, others such as Sugden (1933), Timken (1969), Fitzner (1978, and Jenni et al (1982) found grazing to be a major limitation on populations of curlews, with nest abandonment being the most notable effect of livestock introduction on long-billed curlew ranges. As a result of the bird's strong fidelity to its habitats, these disruptive changes may have cumulatively induced the marked long-term decline in long-billed curlew numbers (Renaud 1980, Pampush andAnthony 1993).…”

Section: Waterbirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophysical inventory, significant, sensitive and disturbance features of the Whaleback area /

Bradshaw¹,

Alberta.²

1997

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Section: Waterbirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophysical inventory, significant, sensitive and disturbance features of the Whaleback area /

Bradshaw¹,

Alberta.²

1997

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“…They speculate that this may be due to errors in distance estimates, declining detectability with distance or possibly a roadside attraction for curlews. Considering that several studies have found that curlews prefer a low vertical vegetation profile (McCallum et al 1977, Bicak et al 1982, Pampush and Anthony 1993, it seems unlikely that curlews would be attracted to the longer vegetation of roadside ditches, except perhaps during the brood rearing phase, where the longer vegetation may provide increased protection from heat stress and predators. Further investigation in this area would be useful.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Population estimate and habitat associations of the long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) in Alberta /

Saunders¹

2001

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Telephone (403) 297-3362 This publication may be cited as; Saunders, Elizabeth J. 2001. Population estimate and habitat associations of the long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) in Alberta. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division, Alberta Species at Risk Report No. 25. Edmonton, AB. Population Estimate and Habitat Associations of the Long-billed Curlew in Alberta, Page i EXECUTIVE SUMMARYA random stratified sample was employed within the Grassland Natural Region to estimate the population of long-billed curlews {Numenius americanus) in Alberta. Sample units were 32km long and 0.8km wide and most were centered along minor roads. A total of 1 10 sample units were surveyed for curlews between April 30^*" and June 8^^, 2001. From these surveys a population estimate was derived: 11,942 curlew males (95% confidence interval of 9,560 -14,323) or, assuming an equal sex ratio, 23,884 individual curlews (95% confidence interval of 19,122 -28,646). As the Parkland Natural Region was not surveyed and there are records of curlews nesting in that region in low numbers, the total Alberta population would be slightly higher than that calculated in this study. Examination of Breeding Bird Survey data suggests that curlew populations in Alberta may be gradually declining, although this trend is not statistically significant.A positive relationship between long-billed curlews and native grassland was found: More curlews were found in townships with the highest levels of grassland. Across all sample units the number of curlews was positively correlated with the amount of native grassland in the sample unit. Finally, where native grassland was abundant, curlews preferentially selected the native grassland over cultivated fields and tame pasture. However, curlews were also found to occur in areas with little or no native grassland.In conjunction with the curlew surveys, data were collected on six other prairie bird species: ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), burrowing owl {Athene cunicularia), upland sandpiper {Bartramia longicauda), loggerhead shrike {Lanius ludovicianus) and Sprague's pipit {Anthus spragueii). Weak, but potentially useful, population estimates were derived for upland sandpiper (1,194 ± 455, precision of 38%) and Sprague's pipit (11,428 ± 4683, precision of 41%).Population Estimate and Habitat Associations of the Long-billed Curlew in Alberta, Page ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people participated in the long-billed curlew inventory. Richard Quinlan provided guidance and direction through this project. Field data collection was conducted by Julie

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“…Specifically, the threats include direct mortality to adults by illegal shooting or vehicle impact, which could then cause nest failure. Though shot adults have mostly been found adjacent to roads (e.g., 9 suspected shot illegally in 1977 and 1979 [Jenni et al 1981], and from 2013−2017, 6 of 15 adults with transmitters were illegally shot [Carlisle et al 2017]) and we documented 1 potential vehicular mortality of a tagged adult during our study, neither of these threats were directly connected to causes of nest failure for the nests we monitored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Long‐billed curlew nest site selection and success in the Intermountain West

2019

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Grassland birds have experienced steeper population declines between 1966 and 2015 than any other bird group on the North American continent, and migratory grassland birds may face threats in all stages of their annual cycle. The grassland‐associated long‐billed curlew (Numenius americanus) is experiencing population declines in regional and local portions of their North American breeding range. The nesting period is an important portion of the annual cycle when curlews may face demographic rate limitations from a suite of threats including predators and anthropogenic disturbance. We compared nest sites to random sites within breeding territories to examine nest site selection, and modeled correlates of nesting success for 128 curlew nests at 5 Intermountain West sites. Nest sites were 6 times more likely than random sites to be situated adjacent to existing cowpies. Additionally, curlews selected nest sites with shorter vegetation, and less bare ground, grass, and shrub cover than at random sites within their territories. Nest success varied widely among sites and ranged from 12% to 40% in a season with a mean of 27% for all nests during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Higher nest success probability was associated with higher curlew densities in the area, greater percent cover of conspicuous objects (cowpies, rocks) near the nest, and higher densities of black‐billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) and American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) at the site. We also found increased probability of nesting success with increased distance from a nest to the nearest potential perch in that territory. Given the central role of working lands to curlews in much of the Intermountain West, understanding limitations to nesting success in these diverse landscapes is necessary to guide adaptive management strategies in increasingly human‐modified habitats. We suggest some grazing and irrigation practices already provide suitable nesting conditions for curlews, and others may require only minor temporal shifts to improve compatibility. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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Behavioral ecology and habitat relationships of long-billed curlew in western Idaho

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Biophysical inventory, significant, sensitive and disturbance features of the Whaleback area /

Biophysical inventory, significant, sensitive and disturbance features of the Whaleback area /

Population estimate and habitat associations of the long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) in Alberta /

Long‐billed curlew nest site selection and success in the Intermountain West

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