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: 1964
Comparative ecology and conservation priorities of swift and kit foxes Comparative ecology and conservation priorities of swift and kit foxes
No abstract available.
Authors
A. Moehrenschlager, B.L. Cypher, K. Ralls, R. List, M.A. Sovada
Extermination and recovery of red wolf and grey wolf in the contiguous United States Extermination and recovery of red wolf and grey wolf in the contiguous United States
About 150 years ago, the grey wolf (Canis lupus) was distributed throughout the contiguous United States, except for in southeastern US from central Texas to the Atlantic coast, where the red wolf (Canis rufus) occurred. Conflict with agricultural interests resulted in government-supported eradication campaigns beginning in colonial Massachusetts in 1630. Over the next 300 years, the...
Authors
Michael K. Phillips, Edward E. Bangs, L. David Mech, Brian T. Kelly, Buddy B. Fazio
Guidelines for finding nests of passerine birds in tallgrass prairie Guidelines for finding nests of passerine birds in tallgrass prairie
The productivity of birds is one of the most critical components of their natural history affected by habitat quality. Birds might occur at high densities in a given habitat patch but have low nesting success. Such "population sinks" would not be detected if observers relied solely on estimates of bird density. Therefore, it is essential to monitor nests and determine their outcomes...
Authors
Maiken Winter, Shawn E. Hawks, Jill A. Shaffer, Douglas H. Johnson
Historical and recent records and first nest records of Henslow's sparrow in North Dakota Historical and recent records and first nest records of Henslow's sparrow in North Dakota
The northwestern limit of the Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) breeding distribution occurs in southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin. In North Dakota, observations of Henslow's sparrows are reported infrequently, and there are no published nest records in the state. Herein, we summarize and review previous reports of Henslow's sparrows in North Dakota and document the first...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Frederick Vanhove
Effects of habitat management practices on plant cover types of uplands and wetlands at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho, 1997-2000 Effects of habitat management practices on plant cover types of uplands and wetlands at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho, 1997-2000
No abstract available.
Authors
J. E. Austin, J.R. Keough, W.H. Pyle
The northern pintail in North America: the problem and prescription for recovery The northern pintail in North America: the problem and prescription for recovery
No abstract available.
Authors
M. R. Miller, D.C. Duncan, K. Guyn, Paul L. Flint, J. E. Austin
Status assessment and conservation plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States Status assessment and conservation plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States
The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) is a grassland specialist distributed throughout w. North America, primarily in open areas with short vegetation and bare ground in desert, grassland, and shrub-steppe environments. Burrowing Owls are dependent on the presence of fossorial mammals (primarily prairie dogs and ground squirrels), whose burrows are used for nesting and...
Authors
David S. Klute, Loren W. Ayers, Michael T. Green, William H. Howe, Stephanie L. Jones, Jill A. Shaffer, Tara S. Zimmerman
Male Brown-headed Cowbird Attacks and Kills a Nestling Male Brown-headed Cowbird Attacks and Kills a Nestling
I observed a male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) attack and kill a nestling of an unidentified passerine in a grassland field in Day County, South Dakota, in June 2000. The killing or removal of nestlings by female cowbirds has been reported by others, but this behavior has not been documented previously in male cowbirds.
Authors
L.D. Igl
Effects of ungulates and prairie dogs on seed banks and vegetation in a North American mixed-grass prairie Effects of ungulates and prairie dogs on seed banks and vegetation in a North American mixed-grass prairie
The relationship between vegetation cover and soil seed banks was studied in five different ungulate herbivore-prairie dog treatment combinations at three northern mixed-grass prairie sites in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. There were distinct differences in both the seed bank composition and the aboveground vegetation between the off-prairie dog colony treatments and the on...
Authors
J. T. Fahnestock, D.L. Larson, G. E. Plumb, J.K. Detling
Invertebrate response to snow goose herbivory on moist-soil vegetation Invertebrate response to snow goose herbivory on moist-soil vegetation
Foraging activity by snow geese (Chen caerulescens) often creates large areas devoid of vegetation ("eat-outs") in moist-soil impoundments and coastal wetlands. Open-water habitats that result from eat-outs may be valuable foraging areas for other wetland-dependent birds (i.e., waterfowl and shorebirds). However, few studies have examined the effects of goose-induced habitat changes on
Authors
M. H. Sherfy, R. L. Kirkpatrick
Purple martins, then and now Purple martins, then and now
Review of: The Purple Martin. Robin Doughty and Rob Fergus. 2002. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. 93 pages. $19.95 (cloth).
Authors
B. Euliss
A probable extralimital postbreeding assembly of bufflehead Bucephala albeola in southcentral North Dakota, USA, 1994-2002 A probable extralimital postbreeding assembly of bufflehead Bucephala albeola in southcentral North Dakota, USA, 1994-2002
The Bufflehead Bucephala albeola predominantly in Canada and Alaska (USA). Evidence suggests that the species may have recently expanded its breeding range southward into central and south-central North Dakota. This paper presents data on observations of Buffleheads during the breeding season in Kidder County, North Dakota, 1994-2002, and discusses the possibility that the species has...
Authors
L.D. Igl