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

Keeley, William H.; Bechard, Marc J.; Garber, Gail

doi:10.1002/jwmg.21130

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…Ferruginous hawks and burrowing owls are found only in shrub-steppe or grassland habitat, and are listed as sensitive species or birds of Conservation Concern, respectively, by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, due primarily to habitat loss or alteration [ 25 , 26 ]. Raptor populations have been shown to respond to decreases in prey abundance with decreased productivity [ 27 , 28 ] or even local extinction [ 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting above-ground density and distribution of small mammal prey species at large spatial scales

et al. 2017

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Grassland and shrub-steppe ecosystems are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Loss of native habitats may negatively impact important small mammal prey species. Little information, however, is available on the impact of habitat variability on density of small mammal prey species at broad spatial scales. We examined the relationship between small mammal density and remotely-sensed environmental covariates in shrub-steppe and grassland ecosystems in Wyoming, USA. We sampled four sciurid and leporid species groups using line transect methods, and used hierarchical distance-sampling to model density in response to variation in vegetation, climate, topographic, and anthropogenic variables, while accounting for variation in detection probability. We created spatial predictions of each species’ density and distribution. Sciurid and leporid species exhibited mixed responses to vegetation, such that changes to native habitat will likely affect prey species differently. Density of white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus), Wyoming ground squirrels (Urocitellus elegans), and leporids correlated negatively with proportion of shrub or sagebrush cover and positively with herbaceous cover or bare ground, whereas least chipmunks showed a positive correlation with shrub cover and a negative correlation with herbaceous cover. Spatial predictions from our models provide a landscape-scale metric of above-ground prey density, which will facilitate the development of conservation plans for these taxa and their predators at spatial scales relevant to management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting above-ground density and distribution of small mammal prey species at large spatial scales

et al. 2017

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Burrowing Rodents

Augustine,

Smith,

Davidson

et al. 2023

Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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Burrowing rodents have unusually disproportionate effects on rangeland ecosystems because they (1) engineer their environment through burrow construction and modification of vegetation structure, (2) influence ecosystem processes including aboveground plant production, nutrient cycling rates, and water infiltration patterns, (3) alter plant community composition, and (4) provide a prey base for a diverse array of predators. In some cases, engineering effects create habitat for certain faunal species that inhabit burrows or colonies of these rodents. We review the ecology and management of burrowing rodents that function as ecosystem engineers in western North America, which includes prairie dogs (five species in the genus Cynomys), ground squirrels (11 species in the genera Otospermophilus, Poliocitellus, and Urocitellus), pocket gophers (16 widespread species in the genera Cratogeomys, Geomys, and Thomomys), and kangaroo rats (eight widespread species in the genus Dipodomys). Effects of burrowing rodents on vegetation structure, species composition, and nutrient content vary with diet, degree of sociality, body size, and hibernation patterns, and potentially have significant effects on coexisting large grazers, including domestic livestock. Diets of prairie dogs overlap substantially with livestock. Impacts on ranching enterprises can vary with their abundance and seasonally, and may be greatest when burrowing rodents reduce dormant-season forage availability. Ground squirrel, pocket gopher, and kangaroo rat interactions with livestock vary among species in relation to their diet, degree of coloniality, and population density. All prairie dog and ground squirrel species are affected by outbreaks of plague caused by Yersinia pestis, a non-native disease. Plague and population control via rodenticides are the primary factors determining the distribution and abundance of these species. In contrast, pocket gophers and kangaroo rats are unaffected by plague. Management and conservation efforts that enable burrowing rodents to coexist with livestock across broad landscapes will likely be essential for the conservation of a unique suite of bird, mammal, herpetofaunal and arthropod species that depend on them as prey or on their engineering activities for habitat.

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A spatial gradient analysis of urban Red-tailed Hawk nestling diet

White

Snook

Ormsby

et al. 2022

Journal of Urban Ecology

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We examined Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nestling diets in Reno and Sparks, NV, USA during the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons. Field researchers and nest cameras recorded 1348 prey items spanning 28 species at 88 nests. Prey consisted of 86% mammalia, 10% aves and 4% reptilia. Differential prey selection occurred among the population and at individual nests relative to an expected diet. Diet breadth differed between nests and increased with urban density. Avian prey consumption increased relative to mammalian and reptilian prey in impervious areas. When prey items were plotted on a continuous urban density spectrum, mammalian prey increased in the suburban areas and decreased toward the urban core and was inversely correlated with avian prey. Mammalian prey consumption increased and decreased at the end of April and in mid-May before increasing through the remainder of the breeding season (mid-June). Avian prey consumption peaked in May and increased through the season, and reptilian prey varied little. The geographic patterns of prey species consumed in our study reflect those in cities elsewhere. As the urban area changes, we predict that the densest populations of Red-tailed Hawks will continue to reside in the suburban areas where prey diversity and abundance are highest. This was one of the first studies to record urban Red-tailed Hawk diet and revealed patterns in how an urban population used food resources.

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

Cited by 5 publications

References 35 publications

Predicting above-ground density and distribution of small mammal prey species at large spatial scales

Predicting above-ground density and distribution of small mammal prey species at large spatial scales

Burrowing Rodents

A spatial gradient analysis of urban Red-tailed Hawk nestling diet

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