Conservation Ecology and Monitoring of Raptors Active
Raptors, or birds of prey, are often used to indicate the state of an ecosystem, and monitoring their populations can help us to understand ecosystem processes. Raptors are particularly good animals for monitoring because they are big and therefore charismatic and easy to observe. Whether we’re monitoring nesting biology and reproductive output, counting individuals on roads, or setting up trail cameras in the woods, our team engages in science that is important to ecological well-being and to society.
Non-invasive Genetic Analysis
Our team uses non-invasive monitoring techniques to gather information on poorly known raptor demographic parameters like survivorship, population size, and rates of immigration and emigration. Traditionally, this was done with capture and recapture of individuals, an approach that requires exceptional effort for relatively poor return. However, in the last decade, genetic analysis of non-invasively collected samples, such as hair, scat, and feathers, has become a powerful method to follow individual wild animals. Our team was the first to develop and use non-invasive genetic mark-recapture techniques to estimate demography of raptor populations. We initially focused on imperial eagles in Kazakhstan and we are now using those same tools to understand the demography of golden eagles in California and vultures in Cambodia.
Motion-sensitive Cameras
Our team has also developed a network of motion-sensitive cameras for detection of birds of prey. When set in the field with bait, a motion-sensitive camera becomes a “trap” that “captures” images of all kinds of wildlife. Before this project, such camera traps had been deployed to monitor mammals. We are the first to use them specifically to target birds. Using these camera traps, we have discovered that the winter range of golden eagles in eastern North America is much larger than previously known and we are cataloguing important aspects of the biology, demography, and ecology of this poorly studied population.
Learn about other projects led by Dr. Todd Katzner.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Seasonal and age-related variation in daily travel distances of California Condors
Steppe eagle Aquila nipalensis
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
Linking behavioral states to landscape features for improved conservation management
Endangered Australian top predator is frequently exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides
Predicted climate-induced reductions in scavenging in eastern North America
Golden Eagle
Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Yearly temperature fluctuations and survey speed influence road counts of wintering raptors
Shared functional traits explain synchronous changes in long‐term count trends of migratory raptors
Plain language descriptions for some related USGS products and publications.
- Overview
Raptors, or birds of prey, are often used to indicate the state of an ecosystem, and monitoring their populations can help us to understand ecosystem processes. Raptors are particularly good animals for monitoring because they are big and therefore charismatic and easy to observe. Whether we’re monitoring nesting biology and reproductive output, counting individuals on roads, or setting up trail cameras in the woods, our team engages in science that is important to ecological well-being and to society.
Non-invasive Genetic Analysis
Our team uses non-invasive monitoring techniques to gather information on poorly known raptor demographic parameters like survivorship, population size, and rates of immigration and emigration. Traditionally, this was done with capture and recapture of individuals, an approach that requires exceptional effort for relatively poor return. However, in the last decade, genetic analysis of non-invasively collected samples, such as hair, scat, and feathers, has become a powerful method to follow individual wild animals. Our team was the first to develop and use non-invasive genetic mark-recapture techniques to estimate demography of raptor populations. We initially focused on imperial eagles in Kazakhstan and we are now using those same tools to understand the demography of golden eagles in California and vultures in Cambodia.
Motion-sensitive Cameras
Our team has also developed a network of motion-sensitive cameras for detection of birds of prey. When set in the field with bait, a motion-sensitive camera becomes a “trap” that “captures” images of all kinds of wildlife. Before this project, such camera traps had been deployed to monitor mammals. We are the first to use them specifically to target birds. Using these camera traps, we have discovered that the winter range of golden eagles in eastern North America is much larger than previously known and we are cataloguing important aspects of the biology, demography, and ecology of this poorly studied population.
- Science
Learn about other projects led by Dr. Todd Katzner.
- Data
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
- Publications
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 64Seasonal and age-related variation in daily travel distances of California Condors
Despite a dramatic recovery from the brink of extinction, California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) still face significant anthropogenic threats. Although condor movement patterns across large temporal scales are understood, less is known about their movements on a fine temporal scale. We used a trajectory-based analysis of GPS telemetry data gathered from condors during 2013 to 2018 to investiAuthorsJonathan C. Hall, Insu Hong, Sharon Poessel, Melissa A. Braham, Joseph Brandt, Joseph Burnett, Todd E. KatznerSteppe eagle Aquila nipalensis
The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a globally endangered, full migrant raptor that breeds in the southern temperate zone from European Russia in the west to eastern Mongolia, Dauria and adjacent north-eastern China in the east. It winters in Africa, the Middle East and Southern and South-Eastern Asia, and migrations can sometimes entail journeys > 10,000 km in length. Kazakhstan, Russia and MAuthorsMichael J. McGrady, Evgeny A. Bragin, Igor Karyakin, Nyambayar Batbayar, Todd E. KatznerRed-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus
Red-footed falcons (Falco vespertinus) are a small, long-distance and obligate migrant falcon that breeds at the forest-steppe interface in Eurasia and winters in Southern Africa. Research carried out with geolocators and satellite transmitters show that during the southbound migration Central Asian birds migrate through the Caucasus and the Middle East, while those from Eastern Europe cross the EAuthorsTodd E. Katzner, Evgeny A. Bragin, Tricia A. MillerEastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
Eastern imperial eagles are a short-, medium-distance, partially-migratory, or even non-migratory, raptor that breeds at the forest-steppe interface in Eurasia and winters in Northern Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. Migratory strategies of imperial eagles are diverse. Eagles breeding in Central and Southeast Europe and south of the Black Sea usually are year-round residents or partial- or sAuthorsEvgeny Bragin, Marton Horvath, Sharon Poessel, Todd E. KatznerLinking behavioral states to landscape features for improved conservation management
A central theme for conservation is understanding how animals differentially use, and are affected by change in, the landscapes they inhabit. However, it has been challenging to develop conservation schemes for habitat-specific behaviors.Here we use behavioral change point analysis to identify behavioral states of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the southwestAuthorsMaitreyi Sur, Brian Woodbridge, Todd C. Esque, Jim R Belthoff, Peter H. Bloom, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Longshore, Kenneth E. Nussear, Jeff A. Tracey, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. KatznerEndangered Australian top predator is frequently exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides
Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) used to control mammalian pest populations cause secondary exposure of predatory species throughout much of the world. It is important to understand the drivers of non-target AR exposure patterns as context for assessing long-term effects and developing effective mitigation for these toxicants. In Australia, however, little is known about exposure and effects of ARAuthorsJames M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Clare E. Hawkins, Leon A. Barmuta, William E. Brown, Amelia J. Koch, Nick J. Mooney, Elissa Z. CameronPredicted climate-induced reductions in scavenging in eastern North America
Scavenging is an important function within ecosystems where scavengers remove organic matter, reduce disease, stabilize food webs, and generally make ecosystems more resilient to environmental changes. Global change (i.e., changing climate and increasing human impact) is currently influencing scavenger communities. Thus, understanding what promotes species richness in scavenger communities can helAuthorsCourtney J. Marneweck, Todd E. Katzner, David S. JachowskiGolden Eagle
The Golden Eagle inhabits a wide range of latitudes and habitats throughout the Palearctic and into northern Africa, where it is largely resident. In North America, its breeding distribution includes most of Canada and Alaska, as well as the western half of the United States and northern and western Mexico. Most eagles that nest in northern Canada and interior and northern Alaska migrate thousandsAuthorsTodd E. Katzner, Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof, Carol L. McIntyre, Erica H. Craig, Tricia A. MillerRelative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Reduction in wildlife mortality is often cited as a potential advantage to repowering wind facilities, that is, replacing smaller, lower capacity, closely spaced turbines, with larger, higher capacity ones, more widely spaced. Wildlife mortality rates, however, are affected by more than just size and spacing of turbines, varying with turbine operation, seasonal and daily weather and habitat, all oAuthorsManuela Huso, Tara Conkling, Daniel Dalthorp, Melanie J Davis, Heath Smith, Amy Fesnock-Parker, Todd E. KatznerEagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Collision‐caused fatalities of animals at wind power facilities create a ‘green versus green’ conflict between wildlife conservation and renewable energy. These fatalities can be mitigated via informed curtailment whereby turbines are slowed or stopped when wildlife are considered at increased risk of collision. Automated monitoring systems could improve efficacy of informed curtailment, yet suchAuthorsChristopher J W McClure, Brian W Roleck, Leah Dunn, Jennifer D McCabe, Luke Martinson, Todd E. KatznerYearly temperature fluctuations and survey speed influence road counts of wintering raptors
Globally, evaluation of population trends is the most pressing research need for many species of conservation concern. Road counts for birds of prey are useful for monitoring long‐term population trends and examining year‐to‐year variations in abundance. We examined data from 2155 road surveys conducted from 2001 to 2018 by community scientists who recorded > 85 000 individuals of 14 species of raAuthorsChristopher J W McClure, Brian W. Rolek, Gregory W Grove, Todd E. KatznerShared functional traits explain synchronous changes in long‐term count trends of migratory raptors
AimAssessing long‐term shifts in faunal assemblages is important to understand the consequences of ongoing global environmental change. One approach to assess drivers of assemblage changes is to identify the traits associated with synchronous shifts in count trends among species. Our research identified traits influencing trends in 73 years of count data on migrating raptors recorded in the north‐AuthorsPatricia Kaye T. Dumandan, Keith L. Bildstein, Laurie J. Goodrich, Andrii Zaiats, Trevor Caughlin, Todd E. Katzner - News
Plain language descriptions for some related USGS products and publications.