USGS: Science Topics: animal behavior

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Animal behavior

The way animals act or react to conditions in the environment and to other organisms, including life patterns such as migration, hibernation, and nocturnal living.

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Results 1 - 27 of 27 listed alphabetically [list by similarity]

A Neotropical Migrant Bird's Dilemma - Where to Stop for a Good Meal [More info]: Studying 28 species of warblers, flycatchers, tanagers, and vireos, we find the birds relied on the flowering of honey mesquite to detect the availability of insects they eat.
Anticipated effects of development on habitat fragmentation and movement of mammals into and out of the Schoodic District, Acadia National Park, Maine [More info]: Wildlife you see in a national park or other reserved area don't know about the park boundary. Bobcat, martens, mink, and moose need different types of living space and habitat. Development outside the park affects their ability to inhabit the park.
Bat research in California [More info]: Brief review of bat research in the San Francisco Bay area and southern California providing land managers with information on the occurrence and status of bat species with links to bat inventories for California and related material.
Bats and wind energy-A literature synthesis and annotated bibliography [More info]: A literature synthesis and annotated bibliography focus on North America and on refereed journals. Additional references include a selection of citations on bat ecology, international research on bats and wind energy, and unpublished reports.
Bats of Ouray National Wildlife Refuge [More info]: Detailed information on capture-and-release surveying as well as acoustic monitoring of bats indicates prevalence of various species and, for the captured specimens, physiological characteristics.
Bear Spray Safety Program [More info]: Explains for USGS employees and volunteers how best to defend against bear attacks when conducting field studies.
Burrowing owls winter in south Texas [More info]: Experimental use of artificial burrows in south Texas to help in conservation of the migratory burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) that breed in dry grasslands using animal burrows.
Catalogue of Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Maternal Den Locations in the Beaufort Sea and Neighboring Regions, Alaska, 1910-2010 [More info]: Approximate locations of 392 polar bear maternal dens found between 1910 and 2010, along with the method and year of discovery.
Demography of the Pryor Mountain wild horses, 1993-2007 [More info]: Population size, foaling, deaths, age structure, sex ratio, age-specific survival rates, and more over a 14 year time span. This information will help land and wildlife managers find the best maintenance and conservation strategies.
Frequent arousal from hibernation linked to severity of infection and mortality in bats with white-nose syndrome [More info]: By attaching data loggers to bats, we found bats infected with white-nose syndrome awoke from hibernation more frequently, which may contribute to increased mortality.
Improving strategies to assess competitive effects of barred owls on northern spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest [More info]: A scientific study has determined that survey methods designed for spotted owls do not always detect barred owls that are actually present in spotted owl habitat.
Management and Research Applications of Long-range Surveillance Radar Data for Birds, Bats, and Flying Insects [More info]: Explains how radar can be used to measure the density, speed, direction, altitude, and location of flocks of animals in flight.
Noninvasive methods for monitoring bear population trends [More info]: We estimate population growth rates by collecting hair at natural bear rubs along trails, roads, and fence and power lines, and analyzing the DNA from the hair.
Pacific Walrus Response to Arctic Sea Ice Losses [More info]: Radio-tracking indicates that walruses will exploit sparse ice to maintain access to preferred foraging areas over the continental shelf.
Polar Bear research at the Alaska Science Center [More info]: Ecological studies of polar bears including population dynamics, dependence on sea ice, and tracking methods.
Prehistoric packrats piled up clues to climate change [More info]: Hoarding behavior preserved prehistoric materials we can use as clues to ancient climate and ecosystem changes.
Satellite tracking and geospatial analysis of feral swine and their habitat use in Louisiana and Mississippi [More info]: Invasive pigs first introduced to the continental United States in the 1500s by European explorers. Using tracking collars, we have begun to discover where these troublesome animals go.
Sea otter research at Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) [More info]: Webpage on research on sea otters (Euhydra lutris) in the nearshore environment of the eastern Pacific Ocean with information on status of otters on the coast of Alaska, Washington, and California and link to fact sheet in PDF format.
Sturgeon research update: Confirmed pallid sturgeon spawning in the Missouri River in 2007 [More info]: Combined with supporting research in reproductive physiology, identification of spawning habitat, and early life history this result provides new understanding of environmental factors that might affect reproduction of this endangered species.
Summary and analysis of the U.S. government bat banding program [More info]: Analysis of the program with a detailed study of the best collection of data available from it. Includes recommendations for future studies of bats.
The effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on early life stages of rainbow trout in the Colorado River [More info]: Complex interactions among hydrologic events initiated by people and the behaviors and characteristics of animal species (both native and introduced) lead to important scientific and management problems.
Understanding the habitat needs of the declining western yellow-billed cuckoo [More info]: This endangered species prefers native trees in large, continuous areas of riparian habitat. Armed with this information, resource managers may identify and preserve areas favorable to this population.
Walrus research at the Alaska Science Center [More info]: Review of current research on stock assessment of the Pacific walrus in the Chukchi and Bering Seas and interactions between walruses and their environment with links to walrus taxonomy, distribution, behavior, and relation to man
Whales and walrus: tillers of the seafloor [More info]: Report on sea floor marks in the Northeast Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea that were identified as pits and furrows caused by whales and walruses in the process of feeding on bottom crustaceans.
White Sturgeon Passage at The Dalles Dam [More info]: Upstream and downstream passage of white sturgeon at dams on the Columbia River.
Wild Sheep and Deer in Hawai'i - A Threat to Fragile Ecosystems [More info]: Shooting them doesn't work, they just breed more. And they trample on the native plants. These animals were brought to the islands during the last 150 years, and we're trying to develop ways of managing their impact on the native life.
Wind energy and wildlife research at the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center [More info]: How will the increasing use of wind turbines affect populations of wild birds and bats? This shows which birds and bats we study, and the aspects of their ecology that may be affected by wind energy development.

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