Pheasant Nesting and Concealment in Hayfields

Abstract

MY associates and I investigated the influence of the quality of nesting vegetation on the sites Ring-necked Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) selected for their nests on a 36-square-mile tract near Sibley, Ford County, in east-central Illinois. Robertson (1958: 10•18) and Hanson and Labisky (1964) describe the pheasant's environment on the Sibley area. During the years of this study (1957-59), farmers cultivated more than 90 per cent of the land; corn and soybeans were the major crops. Cattle grazed most of the forage (grass-legume) crops or farmers mowed them; the date of first mowing varied widely but was usually in June (especially the first half) for alfalfa and in late June and early July for red clover. METItODS On the Sibley tract in the middle 1950s, workers selected at random one hundred 10-acre plots, and subsequently they or others searched them annually for pheasant nests. Among these plots the workers studied further those that contained at least 2 acres of hayfield (forage-crop) vegetation to determine the height, density, and composition of the plants, wherever they could make the studies before mowing began. In each of the selected fields, we located randomly and marked by a thin wire rod two points per acre. At each point where the rod stood, we counted and identified all plants touching any part of the rod and measured the maximum height of each plant with a yardstick. For each plot studied, these measurements yielded data on (a) the percentage frequency of occurrence of each species of plant, (b) the mean height of the plants, and (c) the average number of plants per point. Table 1 gives the number of acres and points sampled and other pertinent data. We measured the intensity of light twice at each sampling point with an inexpensive light meter for photography (brand name "Sekonic"). The observer stood with his back to the sun's direction, held the meter at breast height, pointed it parallel to the ground's surface, and took the first reading of the reflected light; he then immediately repeated the procedure about 3• inches above the ground. Later, by comparing each pair of light readings, we could calculate the percentage of the reflected light that penetrated to near ground level. (Incident light near ground level might be low or absent while reflected light was substantial.) Finally, we calculated the simple linear correlation between the number of pheasant nests established per 10 acres and the measurements described ahove.

Reproductive Ecology of Tibetan Partridge Perdix hodgsoniae in Lhasa Mountains, Tibet

“…Predation is demonstrated to be the principal source of nesting mortality in several Galliform species (Tapper et al 1996, Jimenez & Conover 2001. The nest-site complexity and concealment, depending to a greater extent on physical characteristics at a nest-site, often represent key cues of nest-site selection by ground-nesters (Ricklefs 1969, Hanson 1970. Thus a site that can provide adequate camouflagement from potential predators should be selected for.…”

Artificial structures and microclimate in relation to pheasant nesting

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“…Chi-square tests for the null hypothysis that the number of hens observed (all hen observations beginning with the survey when the first brood was seen) in 1971 was no different than the number observed in 1969, did not yield a test value significant at the 0.05 level of probability (P > 0.10). The 1969The -1970 and 1970-1971 differences were not tested since they were of a lesser magnitude than the 5969-1971 difference. Thus, it was concluded that (Freund et 1960:28) With respect to any given brood this is impossible, of course, because after the brood has hatched mortality will cause it to become smaller.…”

“…Temperatures of bare soil, recorded at a depth of 1-inch at 1700 hours, from 1 March to 10 May (pre-nesting period) in1969, 1970 and 1971, near Ames, Iowa. Temperatures of bare soil, recorded at a depth of 1-inch at 1700 hours, from l.'j April to 25 July (incubation period) in1969, 1970and 1971 …”

Habitat changes in central Iowa and their relationship to ring-necked pheasant populations, 1981-1990

“…In eastcentral Illinois, oat and hay fields were preferred cover for feeding and roosting (Warner 1979). -Hay meadows and clover were used extensively as brooding areas in Indiana and Iowa (Kozicky 1951, Hanson 1970).…”