Habitat Use by Mid-Continent Sandhill Cranes during Spring Migration

Iverson, George C.; Vohs, Paul A.; Tacha, Thomas C.

doi:10.2307/3801033

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Our findings indicate that cranes select cornfields that are near the largest amounts of wet grassland habitat, and our data provide circumstantial support for the importance of specific nutrients that cranes acquire by consuming invertebrates. Furthermore, our data suggest cranes benefit from habitat complexes of harvested cornfields, grasslands, and roosting areas, all in close spatial position (see Iverson et al 1987).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Location and agricultural practices influence spring use of harvested cornfields by cranes and geese in Nebraska

2011

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Millions of ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter cranes) stop in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska to store nutrients for migration and reproduction by consuming corn remaining in fields after harvest. We examined factors that influence use of cornfields by cranes and geese (all mid‐continent species combined; e.g., Anser, Chen, and Branta spp.) because it is a key step to efficient conservation planning aimed at ensuring that adequate food resources are available to migratory birds stopping in the CPRV. Distance to night‐time roost site, segment of the CPRV (west to east), and agricultural practices (post‐harvest treatment of cornfields: idle, grazed, mulched, mulched and grazed, and tilled) were the most important and influential variables in our models for geese and cranes. Probability of cornfield use by geese and cranes decreased with increasing distance from the closest potential roosting site. The use of cornfields by geese increased with the density of corn present there during the early migration period, but field use by cranes appeared not to be influenced by early migration corn density. However, probability of cornfield use by cranes did increase with the amount of wet grassland habitat within 4.8 km of the field. Geese were most likely to use fields that were tilled and least likely to use fields that were mulched and grazed. Cranes were most likely to use fields that were mulched and least likely to use fields that were tilled, but grazing appeared not to influence the likelihood of field use by cranes. Geese were more likely to use cornfields in western segments of the CPRV, but cranes were more likely to use cornfields in eastern segments. Our data suggest that managers could favor crane use of fields and reduce direct competition with geese by reducing fall and spring tilling and increasing mulching. Moreover, crane conservation efforts would be most beneficial if they were focused in the eastern portions of the CPRV and in fields as close as possible to both known roosting and large amounts of wet grassland habitats. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Location and agricultural practices influence spring use of harvested cornfields by cranes and geese in Nebraska

2011

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“…Cranes also typically nest in emergent wetlands, where standing water provides security from predators and persistent vegetation provides material to build nests (Urbanek and Bookhout 1992). Greater use of one habitat may reflect better habitat conditions to meet daily resource needs such as loafing, drinking, foraging, or conducting pair formation activities (Krapu et al 1984;Iverson et al 1987;Tacha 1988;Davis 2001). Cranes in this study exhibited a strong selection for wetland habitats over other habitats available during the diurnal hours.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Summer Habitat Selection of the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes

Kruse

Collins

Conring

et al. 2017

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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Identifying habitat selection and use is important to understand in wildlife management because it informs habitat manipulations, conservation efforts, and species distribution. Habitat selection by sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) has been studied primarily on overwintering areas and a few summering locations. Summer habitat selection by the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) in the Intermountain West is not widely known, but has been identified as an information need by many wildlife management agencies. We captured and attached satellite platform transmitter terminals to 21 adult sandhill cranes on Cibola and Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona and California, and private lands in California and Idaho. Home ranges of all marked cranes (50% core area: x̄ = 525.4 ha, SE = 155.6; 99% isopleth: x̄ = 6,476.5 ha, SE = 1,637.5) were similar to other studies on summering grounds. Resource analysis indicated that marked sandhill cranes used wetland habitats in greater proportion than their availability for both nocturnal and diurnal locations at the population level, by individuals within the entire landscape, and by individuals within their core area. Wetland habitats consist of ∼7% of the available habitat. Within the Wetland category, the Temperate Flooded and Swamp Forest level (a Formation level in the National Vegetation Classification system) was the most important to summering Lower Colorado River Population sandhill cranes. Wetland managers can concentrate their efforts for conservation, enhancement, and restoration on these type of wetlands to ensure the sustainability of this small population of sandhill cranes.

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“…Krapu et al (1984) and Iverson et al (1987) concluded that there was adequate residual corn and habitat to support fat deposition and population stability of cranes migrating through Nebraska during spring. Several studies of residual corn abundance in the CPRV collectively illustrate a long‐term trend of declining residual corn abundance (Reinecke and Krapu 1986, Pearse et al 2010, this study).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural practices and residual corn during spring crane and waterfowl migration in Nebraska

2011

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Nebraska's Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) is a major spring‐staging area for migratory birds. Over 6 million ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) stage there en route to tundra, boreal forest, and prairie breeding habitats, storing nutrients for migration and reproduction by consuming primarily corn remaining in fields after harvest (hereafter residual corn). In springs 2005–2007, we measured residual corn density in randomly selected harvested cornfields during early (n = 188) and late migration (n = 143) periods. We estimated the mean density of residual corn for the CPRV and examined the influence of agricultural practices (post‐harvest field management) and migration period on residual corn density. During the early migration period, residual corn density was greater in idle harvested fields than any other treatments of fields (42%, 48%, 53%, and 92% more than grazed, grazed and mulched, mulched, and tilled fields, respectively). Depletion of residual corn from early to late migration did not differ among post‐harvest treatments but was greatest during the year when overall corn density was lowest (2006). Geometric mean early‐migration residual corn density for the CPRV in 2005–2007 (42.4 kg/ha; 95% CI = 35.2–51.5 kg/ha) was markedly lower than previously published estimates, indicating that there has been a decrease in abundance of residual corn available to waterfowl during spring staging. Increases in harvest efficiency have been implicated as a cause for decreasing corn densities since the 1970s. However, our data show that post‐harvest management of cornfields also can substantially influence the density of residual corn remaining in fields during spring migration. Thus, managers may be able to influence abundance of high‐energy foods for spring‐staging migratory birds in the CPRV through programs that influence post‐harvest management of cornfields. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

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Habitat Use by Mid-Continent Sandhill Cranes during Spring Migration

Cited by 24 publications

References 4 publications

Location and agricultural practices influence spring use of harvested cornfields by cranes and geese in Nebraska

Location and agricultural practices influence spring use of harvested cornfields by cranes and geese in Nebraska

Summer Habitat Selection of the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes

Agricultural practices and residual corn during spring crane and waterfowl migration in Nebraska

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