Publications
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center staff publish results of their research in USGS series reports and in peer-reviewed journals. Publication links are below. Information on all USGS publications can be found at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 1930
Duck nest success in the prairie potholes Duck nest success in the prairie potholes
Since the early 1970's, the numbers of some waterfowl species such as mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), blue-winged teal (A. discors), and northern pintail (A. acuta) have reached or nearly reached the lowest ever recorded. Low nest success (the proportion of nests in which one or more eggs hatch) in key breeding areas, including the U.S. Prairie Pothole region, is partly responsible for...
Authors
Terry L. Shaffer, Wesley E. Newton
Modified transmitter attachment method for adult ducks Modified transmitter attachment method for adult ducks
The value of radio telemetry for waterfowl research depends on the availability of suitable methods of attaching transmitters. In previous studies, external transmitters attached to adult Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) with sutures and glue did not stay on birds reliably. In an attempt to improve transmitter retention, a method of attachment was tested in which 4-g transmitters were...
Authors
P.J. Pietz, D.A. Brandt, Gary L. Krapu, D. A. Buhl
Tundra swan habitat preferences during migration in North Dakota Tundra swan habitat preferences during migration in North Dakota
I studied tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) habitat preference in North Dakota during autumn migration, 1988-89. Many thousand tundra swans stop in the Prairie Pothole region during autumn migration, but swan resource use has not been quantified. I examined habitat preference in relation to an index of sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) presence, extent of open water, and...
Authors
Susan L. Earnst
Nesting waterfowl and other water birds on islands in western Minnesota Nesting waterfowl and other water birds on islands in western Minnesota
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
J. T. Lokemoen
[Book review] For everything there is a season: the sequence of natural events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area, by F. C. Craighead, Jr. [Book review] For everything there is a season: the sequence of natural events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area, by F. C. Craighead, Jr.
Review of: For everything there is a season : the sequence of natural events in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area. F. C. Craighead. 1994. Falcon Press. 206 pp. ISBN: 1560441879.
Authors
Rolf R. Koford
A walk-in trap for nesting ducks A walk-in trap for nesting ducks
No abstract available.
Authors
N.J. Dietz, P.J. Bergmann, Lester D. Flake
The year ducks nested into autumn The year ducks nested into autumn
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
Gary L. Krapu
Conservation reserve program: benefit for grassland birds in the northern plains Conservation reserve program: benefit for grassland birds in the northern plains
During the past few decades numbers of some species of upland-nesting birds in North America have declined. Duck species such as mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), northern pintail (A. acuta) and blue-winged teal (A. discors) have declined since the early 1970s and have remained low since 1985 (Caithamer et al. 1993). Some grassland-dependent nonwaterfowl species also have declined since 1966...
Authors
R. E. Reynolds, T.L. Shaffer, J.R. Sauer, B.G. Peterjohn
Waterfowl botulism--a brief summary Waterfowl botulism--a brief summary
Botulism is a food poisoning caused by the ingestion of the toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum of any of six strains, designated A through F. The disease, as it occurs in epidemic proportion in wild birds, is most commonly of the C type, although outbreaks caused by type E botulism have been observed on the Great Lakes. C. botulinum is a widely distributed anaerobic...
Authors
G. Pearson, W. Jensen
Survival, site and mate fidelity in South Polar Skuas Catharacta maccormicki at Anvers Island, Antarctica Survival, site and mate fidelity in South Polar Skuas Catharacta maccormicki at Anvers Island, Antarctica
In 1974–1975, 34 adult South Polar Skuas Catharacta maccormicki were colour-ringed on 18 nest territories at Bonaparte Point, Anvers Island, near Palmer Station along the Antarctic Peninsula. Subsequently, the area was searched for these birds during the austral summers of 1975–1976 to 1984–1985 and in 1987–1988 and 1989–1990. Fifty-three percent were seen in 1984–1985, 32% in 1987–1988...
Authors
P.J. Pietz, D.F. Parmelee