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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

Natural cavities used by wood ducks in north-central Minnesota Natural cavities used by wood ducks in north-central Minnesota

Radio telemetry was used to locate 31 wood duck (Aix sponsa) nest cavity sites in 16 forest stands. Stands were of 2 types: (1) mature (mean = 107 years) northern hardwoods (10 nest sites), and (2) mature (mean = 68 years) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) (21 nest sites). Aspen was the most important cavity-producing tree used by wood ducks and accounted for 57 percent of 28 cavities...
Authors
D.S. Gilmer, I.J. Ball, L.M. Cowardin, John E. Mathisen, John H. Riechmann

Evaluating call-count procedures for measuring local mourning dove populations Evaluating call-count procedures for measuring local mourning dove populations

Seventy-nine mourning dove call-count runs were made on a 32-km route in Osage County, Missouri, May 1-August 31, 1971 and 1972. Circular study areas, each 61 ha, surrounding stop numbers 4 and 5, were delineated for intensive nest searches and population estimates. Tallies of cooing male doves along the entire call-count route were quite variable in repeated runs, fluctuating as much as...
Authors
M.J. Armbruster, T.S. Baskett, W.R. Goforth, K.C. Sadler

Reproduction of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in North Dakota Reproduction of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in North Dakota

Necropsies and observations of captive and radio-equipped individuals provided reproductive data from a raccoon population in the northern prairies. The mean parturition date of adult females was 8 May and the mean litter size was 4.8. Only two of the 14 yearling females examined prior to 1 July were pregnant; they had estimated parturition dates of 20 May and 22 June. Penes of most...
Authors
E.K. Fritzell

Mate preference in wild and domesticated (game-farm) mallards (Anas platyrhynchos): I. Initial preference Mate preference in wild and domesticated (game-farm) mallards (Anas platyrhynchos): I. Initial preference

Wild and game-farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) raised in pure strain and mixed groups were tested for initial mate preference in a choice test. Female mallards showed no significant preference but males of either strain raised with females of their own strain significantly preferred female models of their own strain during the test. Males raised with females of the other strain merely...
Authors
K.M. Cheng, R.N. Shoffner, R.E. Phillips, F.B. Lee

Biochemical identification of mallard-black duck hybrids through a breeding program and in nature Biochemical identification of mallard-black duck hybrids through a breeding program and in nature

From 1974 to 1976, a breeding program was used to produce black duck-mallard hybrids for the evaluation of inheritance patterns of serum proteins and esterases. In addition to the initial crosses, a series of matings in 1975 and 1976 were designed to evaluate inheritance patterns in hybrid matings with either black duck or mallards. At the F1 level, hybrids were easily distinguished...
Authors
R.P. Morgan, D. W. Meritt, S. B. Block, M. Cole

Aspects of raccoon (Procyon lotor) social organization Aspects of raccoon (Procyon lotor) social organization

Spatial and temporal relationships among members of a raccoon (Procyon lotor) population were studied during spring and summer in east-central North Dakota during 1973–1975. Radio telemetry was used to locate 48 raccoons 6443 times. Livetrapping results and other observations suggested that most raccoons in the area were radio equipped; densities were estimated to be 0.5–1.0 resident/km2...
Authors
E.K. Fritzell
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