Mapping the Relative Habitat Quality Values for the Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) of the Canadian Prairies Using an Innovative Parameterization Approach in the InVEST HQ Module

We examined nest- and roost-burrow characteristics from a declining population of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia (Molina, 1782)) in Saskatchewan. Between 1992 and 2003, 84% of the 584 nests we found were in grassland pastures, even though these pastures constituted only 7% of the potentially available nesting area within our study area. In contrast, less than 3% of nests were in crop fields, despite these fields comprising 90% of the potentially available area. Within grassland pastures, owls selected nest burrows in areas with a higher density of burrows within 75 m (11.1 burrows/ha) compared with non-nest burrows of similar dimensions (5.6 burrows/ha). Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii (Sabine, 1822)) and badgers (Taxidea taxus (Schreber, 1777)) are the primary excavators of suitable nesting burrows in prairie Canada. In our study area, burrowing owls chose to nest and roost in badger-sized burrows, selecting those with taller tunnel entrances and soil mounds relative to unused burrows. We suggest that management for burrowing owl nesting habitat in Canada should consider the owls' avoidance of crop fields and their preference for grassland pastures. Managers should also consider the owls' apparent preference for nesting in areas of high burrow densities and their selection of badger-sized burrows for nesting and roosting.

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Burrowing Owl (Athene Cunicularia) Population Genetics: A Comparison of North American Forms and Migratory Habits

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/122.2.464 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 122 (2) ◽

pp. 464-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nicole M. Korfanta ◽

David B. McDonald ◽

Travis C. Glenn

Keyword(s):

Genetic Differentiation ◽

North American ◽

Habitat Structure ◽

Gene Diversity ◽

Athene Cunicularia ◽

Population Declines ◽

The West ◽

Burrowing Owls ◽

Burrowing Owl ◽

Patchy Habitat

Abstract We assessed the effects of range disjunction, migratory habit, coloniality, and habitat structure on the genetic differentiation of North American Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) populations. Burrowing Owls in North America comprise two forms or subspecies: A. c. floridana in Florida, separated by ∼1,500 km from the western form, A. c. hypugaea, which ranges from Texas to California and north to southern Canada. Burrowing Owls tend to be loosely colonial, and both the Florida populations and southerly populations of A. c. hypugaea from California to Texas are nonmigratory. To assess genetic structure, we examined 201 individuals from nine western and six Florida populations at seven highly variable microsatellite DNA loci. Mean gene diversity (Hexp) was higher in the west than in Florida (0.539 and 0.341, respectively; P < 0.05). Populations within subspecies were essentially panmictic (A. c. floridana: θ = 0.038, ρ = 0.014; A. c. hypugaea: θ = 0.014, ρ = 0.009) and even genetic differentiation across subspecies was modest (θ = 0.051, ρ = 0.014). Nevertheless, the western and Florida forms were easily distinguished by any of several criteria, such as allelic absences in Florida, assignment tests, and well-supported branches on the inferred phylogenetic tree. Genetic differentiation was at least twice as great in resident Florida (θ = 0.038) and California (θ = 0.021) populations as in migratory western populations (θ = 0.012), though 95% confidence intervals of theta estimates overlapped. We found no evidence of a genetic bottleneck that would result in evolutionary disequilibrium within subspecies. In the west, high observed heterozygosity values and evidence of gene flow suggest that population declines and patchy habitat, which currently imperil this species throughout much of its range, have not led to inbreeding or biologically meaningful genetic differentiation among the sampled populations.

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Do land-use patterns influence nest-site selection by burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in northeastern Colorado?

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-79-6-1038 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 79 (6) ◽

pp. 1038-1045 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Patricia B. Orth ◽

Patricia L. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Site Selection ◽

Nest Site ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Athene Cunicularia ◽

Land Use Patterns ◽

Burrowing Owls ◽

Use Patterns

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Prey selection and food habits of breeding Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) in natural and modified habitats of Argentine pampas

Emu - Austral Ornithology ◽

10.1071/mu13040 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Matilde Cavalli ◽

Alejandro V. Baladr�n ◽

Juan P. Isacch ◽

Guadalupe Mart�nez ◽

Mar�a S. B�

Keyword(s):

Food Habits ◽

Prey Selection ◽

Athene Cunicularia ◽

Burrowing Owls ◽

Argentine Pampas

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Timing of nesting of upland-nesting ducks in the Canadian prairies and its relation to spring wetland conditions

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2016-0021 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (8) ◽

pp. 575-581 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

A.J. Raquel ◽

J.H. Devries ◽

D.W. Howerter ◽

R.T. Alisauskas ◽

S.W. Leach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Quality ◽

Canadian Prairie ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

Anas Crecca ◽

Lesser Scaup ◽

Duck Species ◽

Anas Clypeata ◽

Nesting Patterns ◽

Anas Strepera ◽

Species Being

Timing of breeding varies among waterfowl species and individuals, with strong effects on reproductive success, and may be related to habitat quality. Here, we analyse the start, span, and end of the nesting season for nine upland-nesting duck species at 166 Canadian Prairie–Parkland sites over 34 years to better characterize nesting patterns and test whether and how species respond to May pond abundances. Nesting metrics were compared between single-site versus multiple-site studies over 7 years to evaluate the effects of spatial scale and methodology. Strong, consistent differences in start of nesting were found among duck species, being earliest for Northern Pintail (Anas acuta L., 1758) and Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L., 1758), followed by Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata L., 1758), American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca carolinensis Gmelin, 1789 = Anas carolinensis Gmelin, 1789), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors L., 1766), American Wigeon (Anas americana Gmelin, 1789), Gadwall (Anas strepera L., 1758), and lastly by Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis (Eyton, 1838)) and White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca deglandi (Bonaparte, 1850)). Span and end of nesting were related to May pond abundances, but the strength of these relationships varied among species, presumably reflecting the flexible (re-)nesting potential of individuals of some species in response to wetland-habitat quality.

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SEASONAL FOOD HABITS OF BURROWING OWLS (ATHENE CUNICULARIA) IN HUMAN-ALTERED LANDSCAPES

10.15368/theses.2012.57 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Carie Marie Wingert

Keyword(s):

Food Habits ◽

Athene Cunicularia ◽

Burrowing Owls

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Investigation of the geographic origin of burrowing owl fleas with implications for the ecology of plague

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/uky011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kara A Navock ◽

David H Johnson ◽

Samantha Evans ◽

Matthew J Kohn ◽

James R Belthoff

Keyword(s):

Isotope Analysis ◽

Geographic Origin ◽

Breeding Ground ◽

Athene Cunicularia ◽

Wintering Grounds ◽

Burrowing Owls ◽

Burrowing Owl ◽

Isotopic Compositions ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Host Parasite

ABSTRACT Host-parasite relationships between Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) and the fleas (Pulex irritans, Siphonaptera:Pulicidae) they harbor were studied to understand the extent to which migratory Burrowing Owls translocated fleas from wintering grounds to breeding grounds. This has implications for host-parasite relationships in Burrowing Owls and also potentially for the dynamics of plague, as Burrowing Owl distributions overlap plague foci, owls inhabit fossorial mammal colonies where epizootic outbreaks of plague occur, and owls may harbor species of flea that are competent plague vectors. We used hydrogen stable isotope analysis to help elucidate geographic origins of fleas collected from adults and nestlings in 2 migratory populations of Burrowing Owls in Idaho and Oregon, USA. For adults, we posited that bird-mediated dispersal would impart flea isotopic compositions representative of southern latitudes and be similar to owl toenail tissue recently grown on wintering grounds, but they would differ from contour feathers presumably grown on breeding grounds the previous year. We assumed nestling feathers and toenails would have isotopic compositions representative of the breeding grounds. We analyzed contour feathers and toenails from adults collected shortly after they arrived in breeding grounds following spring migration and from nestlings later in the breeding season, to which we compared isotopic compositions in fleas collected from individuals of both age classes. Fleas on nestlings in both populations had isotopic compositions that did not differ from nestling feathers and toenails, suggesting that nestling fleas had breeding ground origins. Fleas on adults in one population (Oregon) had breeding ground isotopic signatures, as flea compositions did not differ from nestling feathers or toenails. Adult owls in Idaho had fleas that similarly did not express a wintering ground signature, but they were enriched in the heavy isotope (deuterium) relative to nestling feathers and toenails. Therefore, we discuss the possibility that adult owls in Idaho acquired fleas at migratory stopover sites. While the latter indicates that Burrowing Owls have the potential to disperse fleas, there was no evidence of continent-wide movement of fleas by owls from wintering grounds to breeding grounds.

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