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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: 1952

Least squares estimation of avian molt rates Least squares estimation of avian molt rates

A straightforward least squares method of estimating the rate at which birds molt feathers is presented, suitable for birds captured more than once during the period of molt. The date of molt onset can also be estimated. The method is applied to male and female mourning doves.
Authors
Douglas H. Johnson

Winter raptor use of the Platte and North Platte River Valleys in south central Nebraska Winter raptor use of the Platte and North Platte River Valleys in south central Nebraska

Winter distribution and abundance of raptors were monitored within the Platte and North Platte river valleys. Data were collected along 265 km of census routes along the Platte and North Platte rivers during the winters of 1978-1979 and 1979-1980. Observations recorded during the second winter involved less observation time and were at somewhat different periods. There were 1574...
Authors
G.R. Lingle

Prescribed burning guidelines in the Northern Great Plains Prescribed burning guidelines in the Northern Great Plains

The use of fire to manage grasslands for wildlife is a relatively new management option for resource managers in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). Nearly all of the burning during the past 20-25 years has been conducted without the aid of specific guidelines for the region. This state-of-the-art set of recommendations was compiled because of this void.Records of 902 grassland fires...
Authors
Kenneth F. Higgins, James L. Piehl, Arnold D. Kruse

Prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas: a community profile Prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas: a community profile

This description of prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas is part of a series of community profiles on ecologically important wetlands of national significance. The shallow wetlands of the Dakotas form the bulk of the portion of the Prairie Pothole Region lying within the United States. This region is famous as the producer of at least half of North America's waterfowl and an unknown...
Authors
H.A. Kantrud, Gary L. Krapu, G.A. Swanson

Dispersal in the communally breeding groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) Dispersal in the communally breeding groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)

We studied dispersal in a color-banded population of the Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) in Costa Rica. Eight percent of the young alive at the end of the breeding season bred on their natal territories the next year and 4% remained but did not breed. Thirteen percent dispersed successfully within the study area and bred in communal groups or simple pairs. The remaining 75%...
Authors
B. S. Bowen, Rolf R. Koford, S.L. Vehrencamp

Agricultural chemicals and prairie pothole wetlands: Meeting the needs of the resource and the farmer -- U.S. perspective Agricultural chemicals and prairie pothole wetlands: Meeting the needs of the resource and the farmer -- U.S. perspective

Included are the reasons for concern over the effects of agrichemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) on prairie-pothole wetlands in the United States. Summarized are the results of studies conducted to date on this topic. Identified is additional research needed to assess the impacts of agrichemicals on these wetlands. Included is a discussion of management strategies and initiatives...
Authors
C.E. Grue, M.W. Tome, T.A. Messmer, D.B. Henry, G.A. Swanson, L.R. DeWeese

Accumulation of lead and organochlorine residues in captive American kestrels fed pine voles from apple orchards Accumulation of lead and organochlorine residues in captive American kestrels fed pine voles from apple orchards

Pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) were collected from pesticide-treated orchards in New York and fed to 3 captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) for 60 days to evaluate potential hazards from soil-borne persistent insecticides. Three control kestrels were fed uncontaminated laboratory mice (Mus musculus). The pine voles contained an average of 38 ppm lead, 48 ppm DDE and 1.2 ppm...
Authors
Rey C. Stendell, W. Nelson Beyer, Robert A. Stehn

Body weight and composition dynamics of fall migrating canvasbacks Body weight and composition dynamics of fall migrating canvasbacks

We studied body weights and composition of canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) during fall migration 1975-77 on stopover sites along the upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisconsin (Navigational Pools 7 and 8) and Keokuk, Iowa (Navigational Pool 19). Body weights varied (P 0.001) by age and sex without interaction. Weights varied by year (P 0.001) on Pools 7 and 8. Mean weights...
Authors
J.R. Serie, D.E. Sharp

Rice available to waterfowl in harvested fields in the Sacramento Valley, California Rice available to waterfowl in harvested fields in the Sacramento Valley, California

Rice fields in the Sacramento Valley, California were sampled in 1985 and 1986 to determine the weight of rice seed remaining in the fields immediately after harvest and again after the fields were burned. No significant differences were found between years (P>0.05). The pooled mean was 388 kg/ha in harvested fields and 276 kg/ha in burned fields. These values are less than estimates...
Authors
M. R. Miller, D.E. Sharp, D.S. Gilmer, W.R. Mulvaney

Size differences in migrant sandpiper flocks: Ghosts in ephemeral guilds Size differences in migrant sandpiper flocks: Ghosts in ephemeral guilds

Scolopacid sandpipers were studied from 1980 until 1984 during spring migration in North Dakota. Common species foraging together in mixed-species flocks differed in bill length most often by 20 to 30 percent (ratios from 1.2:1 to 1.3:1). Observed flocks were compared to computer generated flocks drawn from three source pools of Arctic-nesting sandpipers. The source pools included 51...
Authors
J.L. Eldridge, Douglas H. Johnson
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