Investigating Home Range, Movement Pattern, and Habitat Selection of Bar-headed Geese during Breeding Season at Qinghai Lake, China

The Bar-headed Goose is the only true goose species or Anserinae to migrate solely within the Central Asian Flyway, and thus, it is an ideal species for observing the effects of both land use and climate change throughout the flyway. In this paper, we investigate the home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) during the breeding season at Qinghai Lake, which is one of their largest breeding areas and a major migration staging area in the flyway. We identified several areas used by the geese during the breeding season along the shoreline of Qinghai Lake and found that most geese had more than one core use area and daily movements that provided insight into their breeding activity. We also observed the intensive use of specific wetlands and habitats near Qinghai Lake. These data provide interesting insights into the movement ecology of this important species and also provide critical information for managers seeking to understand and respond to conservation concerns threatening Bar-headed Geese, such as landscape and habitat changes.

Download Full-text

Breeding-Season Survival, Home-Range Size, and Habitat Selection of Female Bachman's Sparrows

Southeastern Naturalist ◽

10.1656/058.020.0112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Y. Choi ◽

Alexander C. Fish ◽

Christopher E. Moorman ◽

Christopher S. DePerno ◽

Jessica M. Schillaci

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Selection Of

Download Full-text

Home Range Attributes and Habitat Selection of Barred Owls and Spotted Owls in an Area of Sympatry

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/109.4.750 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 109 (4) ◽

pp. 750-768 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas E. Hamer ◽

Eric D. Forsman ◽

Elizabeth M. Glenn

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Negative Slope ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Strix Varia ◽

Spotted Owls ◽

Barred Owls ◽

Selection Of

Abstract We compared home range areas and habitat selection of radio-marked Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis) and Barred Owls (Strix varia) in an area of sympatry in the northern Cascade Range of Washington in 1986–1989. On average, home ranges of Spotted Owls were 3–4 times larger than ranges of Barred Owls, and there was little overlap of home ranges during the breeding season. Ranges of both species tended to expand during winter. Home range size of both species was negatively correlated with the amount of old forest, but the negative slope of the regression was much steeper for Spotted Owls than for Barred Owls. For both species, home ranges of individual owls typically had high overlap among seasons and years, indicating high site fidelity. Barred Owls generally occupied home ranges at lower elevations than Spotted Owls (mean = 386 ± 27 m vs. 750 ± 68 m). Both species tended to use old forests more than expected, but Spotted Owls tended to use other cover types less than expected, whereas Barred Owls used most other cover types in proportion to their availability. We suggest that Spotted Owls may use larger ranges than Barred Owls because they prey selectively on a few species of nocturnal mammals, whereas Barred Owls forage more evenly across a broad range of prey types, including diurnal and aquatic species. The low overlap of Barred Owl and Spotted Owl home ranges suggests that territorial Barred Owls exclude Spotted Owls from their territories, at least during the breeding season, thus reducing the amount of habitat available to Spotted Owls.

Download Full-text

Spatial ecology and habitat selection of Little Owl Athene noctua during the breeding season in Central European farmland

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270911000268 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 328-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

MARTIN ŠÁLEK ◽

MATĚJ LÖVY

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Active Management ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Management Actions ◽

Athene Noctua ◽

Little Owl ◽

Selection Of

SummaryInformation on habitat requirements and spatial ecology is vital in conservation strategies and management of particular species. Little Owl Athene noctua is a highly threatened owl species whose populations have significantly decreased or are locally extinct in many European countries. In this study we report on spatial ecology and habitat selection of Little Owls during their breeding season in an agricultural landscape and discuss key management actions for its conservation. The mean home range size of radio-tracked Little Owls, determined by the kernel method, was 0.94 ha (SD = 0.95, 0.24–2.72 ha) and 4.30 ha (SD = 3.75, 0.88–11.70 ha) for 50% and 95% home range, respectively. The smallest home ranges were recorded in April–June (incubation and nesting period) with a significant increase in July–August (fledging season). The most important foraging habitat during the entire breeding season was grassland (especially pastures) reaching 90% for all locations. Vegetation height and cover were the main factors determining habitat selection: Little Owls significantly preferred sparse and short sward vegetation patches that enabled hunting of ground-dwelling prey. Conservation efforts for Little Owls should focus on the active management of prey-rich grassland habitats in the vicinity of breeding sites.

Download Full-text

Mass occurrence and habitat selection of Common Redpolls (Carduelis flammea) after a large seed crop year: snow-covered ground facilitates food access

Journal of Ornithology ◽

10.1007/s10336-021-01912-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Svein Dale

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Snow Cover ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Large Seed ◽

Mass Occurrence ◽

Seed Crops ◽

Ecosystem Changes ◽

Selection Of

AbstractIn boreal forests, food supplies typically have cyclic variations, and many species here fluctuate in numbers from year to year. One group of species showing large variations in population size is birds specialized on seeds from masting trees. Here, I analyze spatial patterns of a mass occurrence and habitat selection of the Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) during the breeding season in southeastern Norway in 2020 after a year with large seed crops from Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and Downy Birch (Betula pubescens). I found that Common Redpoll numbers increased with elevation and towards the northwest. Numbers were also strongly and positively correlated with snow depth in early April when snow was present mainly above 400 m elevation. Sites with snow cover in early April (30% of all sites) held 96.4% of all individuals recorded. Field observations indicated that Common Redpolls foraged extensively for spruce seeds on the snow until the end of May when young were independent. I suggest that the mass occurrence was due to a unique combination of exceptionally large seed crops of two tree species coinciding in the same year. The masting produced large amounts of food both for overwintering (birch seeds) and for breeding (spruce seeds), and during the breeding season snow cover facilitated access to food resources. Dependency of Common Redpolls on snow cover suggests that climate change may negatively impact some seed-eaters in boreal regions. On the other hand, higher temperatures may induce more frequent masting which may be beneficial for seed-eaters. Thus, climate change is likely to lead to complex ecosystem changes in areas where snow cover may disappear.

Download Full-text

Home range and habitat selection of female mountain nyalas (Tragelaphus buxtoni) in the human-dominated landscape of the Ethiopian Highlands

Mammalian Biology ◽

10.1007/s42991-021-00216-0 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Anagaw Atickem ◽

Matthias Klapproth ◽

Martha Fischer ◽

Dietmar Zinner ◽

Leif Egil Loe

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Ethiopian Highlands ◽

Selection Of

Download Full-text

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management

Anadromous Sturgeons: Habitats, Threats, and Management ◽

10.47886/9781888569919.ch7 ◽

2007 ◽

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Home Range ◽

Atlantic Sturgeon ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Early Juvenile ◽

Salt Wedge ◽

Sandy Substrate ◽

Core Areas ◽

St Lawrence Estuary ◽

Selection Of

<em>Abstract</em>.â€”Space use and habitat selection of early juvenile Atlantic sturgeon <em>Acipenser oxyrinchus</em> have been little studied and remain largely unknown throughout the speciesâ€™ range. In 2000â€“2002, survey trawling, ultrasonic telemetry, benthos sampling, and hydrodynamic modeling were used to determine the summer movement patterns, home range size, and habitat use and selection of early juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the St. Lawrence estuary. Sonic-tagged Atlantic sturgeon, assumed to be age 2 based on their size, used a global area estimated at 76 km2 that included two main core areas. Individual summer home range sizes varied from 1 to 8 km2, but core areas were generally smaller than 1 km2. The mean daily distance traveled ranged from 0.4 to 13.5 km/d and was significantly related to sturgeon size. Fish were located mostly in freshwater relatively close to the salt wedge boundary and far from the shore, intertidal zones, and islands. They mostly used the 6â€“10-m depth range relatively close to a channel, in areas with low bottom current velocities, and over siltâ€“clay substrates. Salinity and distance from the salt wedge were the two most important variables explaining their habitat selection. Age-0 Atlantic sturgeon used similar depth ranges, bottom salinities, and current velocities, but occupied mainly sandy substrate. Management implications of these results are discussed in relation to the impact of dredging and sediment disposal operations in the St. Lawrence estuary.

Download Full-text