Nesting and Productivity of Ferruginous Hawks in Two Areas of Central and Western New Mexico, 1999-2000

Cartron, Jean-Luc E.; Cook, Rosamonde R.; Garber, Gail; Madden, Kristin K.

doi:10.2307/3672510

Cited by 3 publications

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“…From 1998–2005, we conducted aerial and ground surveys in April to identify ferruginous hawk nesting attempts (i.e., eggs observed in the nest or adult in incubating posture) within all historical territories in the study area (Cartron et al ). We also located several ferruginous hawk nests during our surveys that had not been found earlier.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Ferruginous hawks that nest at the southern extent of the species range in New Mexico feed primarily on small mammals including Gunnison's prairie dog ( Cynomys gunnisoni ; Cartron et al ). Two studies in the region reported ferruginous hawk populations were self‐sustaining (Ramakka and Woyewodzic , Cartron et al ) but did not examine the relationship between prey and productivity. We studied ferruginous hawk diet in 2004–2005 and nesting success and productivity from 1998–2005 in rural and exurban grasslands in New Mexico.…”

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Prey use and productivity of ferruginous hawks in rural and exurban New Mexico

2016

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Habitat loss from human development affects native wildlife populations, especially in the western United States where the human population is growing 2-3 times faster than any other part of the country. We analyzed regurgitated pellets, prey remains, and video to describe the diet of ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) nesting in rural and exurban grasslands in New Mexico, USA, to better understand the conservation needs of this species. Three mammals-Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae), Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), and desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)-comprised the majority of ferruginous hawk diet in percent biomass, whereas Botta's pocket gopher dominated diet in percent frequency. Hawks breeding in the exurban grassland (i.e., exurban hawks) consumed more Gunnison's prairie dogs, whereas hawks in the rural area (i.e., rural hawks) consumed more lagomorphs. From 1998-2005, and during the 2 years of our prey use study, exurban hawks delivered more biomass and prey items and experienced greater nesting success and productivity than rural hawks. The presence of prairie dogs, a colonial mammal whose occurrence theoretically reduces predatory search time, assisted in the maintenance of relatively high productivity levels for exurban hawks in our study. In 2004, the exurban grassland supported 5 times more prairie dog colonies than the rural area, but the number of exurban colonies decreased by 50% from 1999-2004. Extant prairie dog colonies and habitat supporting other medium-sized mammals (e.g., Geomyidae) should be conserved to enable maintenance of ferruginous hawk populations in the western United States, particularly in anthropogenically altered areas. Ó 2016 The Wildlife Society.

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Prey use and productivity of ferruginous hawks in rural and exurban New Mexico

2016

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Human‐made structures, vegetation, and weather influence ferruginous hawk breeding performance

et al. 2015

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Studies of anthropogenic impacts on wildlife may produce inconclusive or biased results if they fail to account for natural sources of variation in breeding performance and do not use probabilistic sampling at a scale functional for management. We used stratified random sampling and generalized linear mixed models to test hypotheses on relationships of daily nest survival rate (DSR) and fledgling production with anthropogenic and environmental factors that influence reproduction in the ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis). We conducted the study across ferruginous hawk range in Wyoming, USA, 2010-2012. We performed extensive field surveys of prey, vegetation, and nest substrates, and used spatially explicit data to quantify weather, and the most widespread forms of anthropogenic infrastructure (i.e., roads, oil and gas well pads) in ferruginous hawk territories. We found strong evidence that DSR and productivity were greater for nests on anthropogenic structures (i.e., artificial nest platforms, gas condensation tanks, abandoned windmill platforms, power poles) compared to natural substrates (i.e., trees, cliffs, rock outcrops). Additionally, ferruginous hawks produced more fledglings at territories with greater shrub cover and fewer severe storms during the June brood-rearing period. Amount of oil and gas development and prey was not associated with either measure of breeding performance. Our results suggest that artificial nest platforms are an effective tool to improve breeding success of ferruginous hawks and nesting on anthropogenic structures does not constitute an ecological trap for this species. Although ferruginous hawks nested in some areas with very little vegetative cover, territories with greater amounts of shrub cover produced more fledglings. The negative impact of severe spring storms on fledgling production illustrates the importance of including future weather scenarios in management planning for this species because storms are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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