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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: 1945

Survival of adult female northern pintails in Sacramento Valley, California Survival of adult female northern pintails in Sacramento Valley, California

North American populations of northern pintails (Anas acuta) declined between 1979 and the early 1990s. To determine if low survival during winter contributed to declines, we estimated winter (last week of Aug-Feb 1987-90) survival for 190 adult (after hatching yr [AHY]) female radio-tagged pintails in late summer in Sacramento Valley (SACV), California. Survival rates did not vary by...
Authors
Michael R. Miller, Joseph P. Fleskes, Dennis L. Orthmeyer, Wesley E. Newton, David S. Gilmer

Morphological differences in Pacific Coast populations of greater white-fronted geese Morphological differences in Pacific Coast populations of greater white-fronted geese

We examined morphological relationships of three Pacific coast populations of Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons). Adult geese were captured and measured at three breeding areas in Alaska and two wintering areas in California, 1980-1991. A two-step discriminant function analysis examined morphological differences among the three populations. Stepwise discriminant function...
Authors
D.L. Orthmeyer, John Y. Takekawa, Craig R. Ely, M. Wege, W.E. Newton

Our living resources: A report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems Our living resources: A report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems

This report on the distribution, abundance, and health of our nation's biological resources is the first product of the National Biological Service’s Status and Trends Program. This information has many potential uses: it can document successful management efforts so resource managers will know what has worked well; it can identify problems so managers can take early action to restore...

Migratory bird population changes in North Dakota Migratory bird population changes in North Dakota

The status of migratory bird populations in North America has received increased attention in recent years. Much of this consideration has been on Neotropical migrants, especially those associated with eastern forests. The status of migratory bird populations in the Great Plains has received far less attention. During the past quarter-century, populations of many species of birds that...
Authors
Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson

Woody vegetation and channel morphogenesis in low-gradient, gravel-bed streams in the Ozarks Plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas Woody vegetation and channel morphogenesis in low-gradient, gravel-bed streams in the Ozarks Plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas

Woody vegetation affects channel morphogenesis in Ozark streams of Missouri and Arkansas by increasing local roughness, increasing bank strength, providing sedimentation sites, and creating obstructions to flow. Variations in physiographic controls on channel morphology result in systematic changes in vegetation patterns and geomorphic functions with increasing drainage basin area. In...
Authors
R. McKenney, R. B. Jacobson, R.C. Wertheimer

Seasonal predator removal relative to hatch rate of duck nests in waterfowl production areas Seasonal predator removal relative to hatch rate of duck nests in waterfowl production areas

These authors report that hatch rates of duck nests were related to removal of predators from waterfowl production areas. Cost effectiveness of such efforts is questioned. The prairie pothole region (PPR) is the primary breeding ground of several species of North American ducks (Bellrose 1980). Much habitat of breeding ducks in the PPR has been destroyed or degraded by intensive...
Authors
A.B. Sargeant, M.A. Sovada, T.L. Shaffer

How much habitat management is needed to meet mallard production objectives? How much habitat management is needed to meet mallard production objectives?

We used results from simulation models to demonstrate the benefit-cost ratios of habitat management to increase the number of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) recruits produced. The models were applied to hypothetical 2-habitat landscapes comprised of managed and unmanaged habitat. Managed habitats were predator barrier fencing and CRP cover; unmanaged habitat was grassland. As the amount of...
Authors
L.M. Cowardin, T.L. Shaffer, K.M. Kraft

Using known populations of pronghorn to evaluate sampling plans and estimators Using known populations of pronghorn to evaluate sampling plans and estimators

Although sampling plans and estimators of abundance have good theoretical properties, their performance in real situations is rarely assessed because true population sizes are unknown. We evaluated widely used sampling plans and estimators of population size on 3 known clustered distributions of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Our criteria were accuracy of the estimate, coverage of 95...
Authors
Kathy M. Kraft, Douglas H. Johnson, Jack M. Samuelson, Stephen H. Allen

Point counts of birds: what are we estimating? Point counts of birds: what are we estimating?

Point counts of birds are made for many reasons, including estimating local densities, determining population trends, assessing habitat preferences, and exploiting the activities of recreational birdwatchers. Problems arise unless there is a clear understanding of what point counts mean in terms of actual populations of birds. Criteria for conducting point counts depend strongly on the...
Authors
Douglas H. Johnson

[Book review] Skua and penguin: Predator and prey [Book review] Skua and penguin: Predator and prey

The skua and penguin with title billing in this book are specifically the South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) and the Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), More specifically, they are the populations of those two species that breed at Cape Bird on Ross Island, Antarctica (77°14'S, 16628'E), where the author and his students and colleagues conducted research during 1965-1970, Young...
Authors
P.J. Pietz

[Book review] Conservation and Management of Neotropical Migrant Landbirds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains, by David S. Dobkin, R. Gerald Wright, and Stephen C. Bunting [Book review] Conservation and Management of Neotropical Migrant Landbirds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains, by David S. Dobkin, R. Gerald Wright, and Stephen C. Bunting

Review of: Conservation and management of neotropical migrant landbirds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains. Northwest Naturalist Books. David S. Dobkin, R. Gerald Wright, Stephen C. Bunting. University of Idaho Press, 1994. ISBN: 0893011681, 9780893011680.
Authors
Douglas H. Johnson
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