Revisiting Effects of Hunting on Mourning Dove Nest Survival

Abstract We reconstructed a historical dataset from a national mourning dove Zenaida macroura nesting study evaluating the effects of hunting on nesting birds during the September portion of the hunting season using Bayesian hierarchical models; the reconstructed dataset contained 707 nests. The original nest survival estimate of 96.3% (nonhunted zones) fell within the range of our average daily nest survival rates and credible intervals (CI) of 97.2% (95% CI: 96.2–98.0%) for nonhunted, but the original nest survival estimate of 95.5% (hunted zones) was lower than our average daily nest survival rates of 96.9% (95% CI: 96.1–97.7%) for hunted zones. Similarly, overall nest survival for areas and years combined for hunted zones was 44.3% (95% CI: 35.3%, 53.9%) and 48.1% (95% CI: 36.9%, 59.8%) for nonhunted zones. The most parsimonious model contained the primary covariates of hunted or nonhunted status (hunted or paired hunted) or paired hunted or nonhunted nest searching plot (zone), and year. We observed lower nest survival for the hunted or delayed-hunt zones compared to the zones with hunted or nonhunted season structure. Regional differences may be explained by states with early and late hunting seasons separated by ≥ 21 d compared to other pairs where hunted and nonhunted areas occurred simultaneously. Our reanalysis provides managers additional assurance that the basic premise of limited or no effect of harvest on mourning dove populations is still valid but continued monitoring of population status is warranted.

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Reanalysis of Historical Mourning Dove Nest Data by Using a Bayesian Approach

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/102015-jfwm-100 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 292-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John Snyder ◽

Xiaoming Gao ◽

John H. Schulz ◽

Joshua J. Millspaugh

Keyword(s):

Hierarchical Modeling ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Original Study ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Mourning Dove ◽

Zenaida Macroura ◽

Bayesian Hierarchical ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Original Dataset ◽

Nest Height

Abstract We reconstructed a historical mourning dove Zenaida macroura nesting dataset to estimate nest survival and investigate the effect of covariates by using a Bayesian hierarchical model. During 1979–1980, 106 study areas, across 27 states, were established to conduct weekly nest searches during February–October. We used roughly 11,000 data sheets to reconstruct the dataset containing 7,139 nests compared to 6,950 nests in the original study. Original and reconstructed nest survival estimates showed little difference by using the original analysis methodology, that is, the Mayfield method. Thus, we assumed we closely replicated the original dataset; distributions of nests found, birds hatched, and birds fledged also showed similar trends. After confirming the validity of the reconstructed dataset, we evaluated 10 different models by using a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach; the final model contained variables for nest age or stage, nest height, region, but not habitat. The year 1980 had a higher probability of nest survival compared to 1979, and nest survival increased with nest height. The nest encounter probability increased at days 4 and 11 of the nesting cycle, providing some insight into the convenience sampling used in the original study. Our reanalysis with the use of covariates confirms previous hypotheses that mourning doves are habitat generalists, but it adds new information showing lower nest survival during nest initiation and egg laying and a decline when fledglings would be 4 or 5 d old. Regional differences in mourning dove nest survival confirm existing hypotheses about northern states demonstrating greater nest success compared to southern states where differences may reflect trade-offs associated with northern latitudes, weather differences, or food availability.

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Bayesian hierarchical models for estimating nest survival

10.32469/10355/48680 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Yiqun Yang

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Model Performance ◽

R Package ◽

Spatial Effect ◽

Survival Curves ◽

Bayesian Hierarchical ◽

Nest Period ◽

Overall Survival Rates

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Nest survival rate is a critical value in avian study to evaluate the landbirds populations. The widely used likelihood-based logistic regression model was evaluated in the first part of the dissertation. In this part, we investigated the importance of nest age in estimating survival rates and measured the model selection accuracy based on AIC results. Next we extended Bayesian Hierarchical Model to include different nest period lengths which estimated the overall survival rates and survival curves with combined nest period lengths. For unknown nest fate, the nest fate effect and the nest-specific covariates were included in the missing probability estimation. We also compared the results from incomplete data with the results from complete data analysis. The estimated overall survival rates and survival curves all supported the model performance. Finally, we included the spatial effect into the age-specific outcome rates estimation. The point-level nest observations explained the nest-specific spatial effect within each unit; while the grid-level data explained the spatial effect between different units. In each part, a simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the model and an application was also provided. All the programs were written in FORTRAN and a R package (function) was created to make it more user friendly.

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Effects of storms, angling, and nest predation during angling on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) nest success

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f05-171 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (11) ◽

pp. 2649-2660 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Geoffrey B Steinhart ◽

Nancy J Leonard ◽

Roy A Stein ◽

Elizabeth A Marschall

Keyword(s):

Nest Predation ◽

Lake Erie ◽

Nest Success ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Round Goby ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Micropterus Dolomieu ◽

Daily Survival ◽

Daily Nest Survival

We studied how storms, angling, and nest predation during angling affected smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) nest survival in the Bass Islands, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA. Increasing angler effort and introduction of an exotic nest predator, round goby (Neogobious melanostomus), have raised concerns about smallmouth bass recruitment in Lake Erie. We surveyed smallmouth bass nests and calculated daily survival rates for nests assigned to different angling treatments: control, angling without predation, or angling with predation treatments. Only 30% of control nests were successful compared with 11% of angling without predation and 14% of angling with predation treatments. We used the Mayfield method and maximum likelihood models in the program MARK to estimate the survival rates for nests of different treatments and exposed to different numbers of storms. Although nest predators consumed about 35% of broods during angling, daily nest survival rates of both angling treatments were similar. Angling reduced nest survival compared with controls by approximately 5%. Storms reduced both nest success and daily survival. The best model predicting daily nest survival included the added effects of angling treatment and number of storms. Thus, whereas storms and angling affected smallmouth bass nest survival, nest predation during angling did not.

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Bayesian hierarchical models for estimating nest survival

10.32469/10355/49541 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Yiqun Yang

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Model Performance ◽

R Package ◽

Spatial Effect ◽

Survival Curves ◽

Bayesian Hierarchical ◽

Nest Period ◽

Overall Survival Rates

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NEST-SITE CHARACTERISTICS AFFECT DAILY NEST-SURVIVAL RATES OF NORTHERN APLOMADO FALCONS (FALCO FEMORALIS SEPTENTRIONALIS)

The Auk ◽

10.1525/auk.2008.125.1.105 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 125 (1) ◽

pp. 105-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

JESSI L. BROWN ◽

MICHAEL W. COLLOPY

Keyword(s):

Nest Site ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Site Characteristics ◽

Daily Nest Survival

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Green-Tailed Towhee Response to Prescribed Fire in Montane Shrubland

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/108.3.634 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 634-646

Author(s):

Gretchen Jehle ◽

Julie A. Savidge ◽

Natasha B. Kotliar

Keyword(s):

Prescribed Fire ◽

National Park ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Nest Site Selection ◽

Rocky Mountain National Park ◽

Shrub Cover ◽

Daily Nest Survival

Abstract Fire alters the structure and composition of shrublands and affects habitat quality for the associated avifauna. Because shrubland ecosystems have been greatly reduced from their original extent in western North America and fire is increasingly being used to manage these landscapes, a better understanding of how fire affects the associated vegetation and wildlife is imperative. We evaluated the response of Green-tailed Towhees (Pipilo chlorurus) to prescribed fire in the montane shrublands of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado during 2002 and 2003. Three to five years following prescribed burning, Green-tailed Towhee density and shrub cover were generally higher in unburned areas. Nests (n = 179) were located in unburned vegetation; within burned sites, all nests were in remnant patches. Green-tailed Towhee nest survival was 57% (95% CI = 49%–65%) across the two years of the study. More than half of the nests were in common juniper (Juniperus communis) shrubs, and nest survival was higher for nests in junipers than those in other shrub species. Daily nest survival rates were lower at the site with the highest density of towhees and declined over the breeding season. With regard to shrub cover, opposite trends were observed for nest-site selection and nest survival: nest plots had greater shrub cover than non-nest plots, but nest survival decreased with increasing shrub cover. Because shrub cover affects towhee density and nest survival in conflicting ways, fire management at Rocky Mountain National Park alters both habitat availability and suitability for Green-tailed Towhees.

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Forest edges negatively influence daily nest survival rates of a grassland tinamou, the Spotted Nothura (Nothura maculosa)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2020-0210 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Martín A. Colombo ◽

Luciano Noel Segura

Keyword(s):

Nest Survival ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Breeding Population ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Forest Edges ◽

Habitat Features ◽

Exotic Trees ◽

Cause Of Failure ◽

Daily Nest Survival ◽

Ground Nesting

Grassland degradation and fragmentation produced by land use have globally impacted biodiversity. In the Neotropics, the Pampas Grasslands have been greatly altered by agriculture and the introduction of exotic trees. To evaluate the effects of changing habitat features on native grassland fauna, we studied a breeding population of a ground nesting bird, the Spotted Nothura Nothura maculosa (Temminck, 1985) in a natural grassland under cattle-grazing in central-east Argentina. We estimated daily nest survival rate (DSR) and modeled it as a function of habitat (distance to habitat edges, cattle density and nest concealment) and temporal factors. Of the 80 nests found, 64 (80 %) failed, predation being the principal cause of failure. DSR was 0.874, estimating a cumulative survival of only 6.8 % throughout egg laying and incubation. DSR increased with distance to continuous forests and decreased with nest age. Nests located near forest edges could have increased predation risk because they are potentially exposed to forest dwelling predators in addition to grassland dependent ones. Considering the low success found and the ongoing invasion of exotic trees in the region, we encourage governments to protect large areas of grassland that ensure adequate nest success for tinamous and other ground nesting birds.

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