Date of Award
11-1996
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Department
Biology
College
College of Science and Engineering
First Advisor
Alfred Grewe
Second Advisor
Wayland Ezell
Third Advisor
James Johnson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Prairie Grouse, Winter Ecology, Minnesota, Prairie Chicken
Abstract
Winter habitat characteristics, movements, survival and behaviors of radio-marked prairie chickens were investigated in northwest Minnesota from 1992-1994. One thousand six hundred and ninety-five relocations were collected from 111 radio-marked prairie chickens from October 25 to March 7 over both years.
Habitat use was diverse and varied with time period. Agriculture and grass/ forb habitats were used in nearly equal amounts during the day (43% and 45%). Night habitat use was mostly grass/ forb habitat with lesser amounts of agriculture and shrub habitat. Shrub habitat was used in small amounts. Prairie chickens were seldom found within the shrubs but rather in the herbacious vegetation associated with shrubs.
Private lands were used most often both day and night. Conservation Reserve Program lands and agriculture both received heavy use. Pubic lands were used in much lesser amounts. Greatest use of public lands occurred at night.
Vegetation 26-50 cm tall received most use for roosting and loafing whereas height class 0-8 cm was used during feeding. Lands disturbed more than >4 years previous were used most often for roosting, comparatively lands disturbed
Snow burrows were the preferred night roost type. The use of snow burrows was believed to serve a heat conservation function. The combination of grass and forbs were important at night roost areas. Areas with thick stands of grass prevented snow burrowing and received little use.
Mean seasonal home range was 1724.0 ±3561.8 ha. Females had the greatest home ranges. Males had the smallest home ranges and showed fidelity to their home booming ground. Mean daily home range was 82.3 ha. Prairie chickens tended to associate with booming grounds, 89.9% of locations were within 4.8 km of a booming ground.
Winter survival was 57.5% and 79.2% for 1992-1993 and 1993-1994, respectively. Decreases in survival are thought the result of snow covering regular feeding areas forcing birds to move. Survival increased and remained high once in stable feeding areas. Survival decreases at winters end are probably the result of birds suffering from the cumulative stresses incurred throughout the winter. Adult males had highest mean survival (85%) while immature females had lowest (62.5%)
Mean daytime flock size was 16.7±15.3 while mean night flock size (at night roosts) was 5.7±5.3.
Management efforts should strive to provide a combination of roosting cover and feeding areas. If food plots are required they should be located around a complex of booming grounds. CRP lands should be maintained and managed. Substituting hardy £orbs in place of alfalfa would be beneficial.
Recommended Citation
Rosenquist, Eric L., "Winter Aspects of Prairie Chicken Ecology in Northwest Minnesota" (1996). Culminating Projects in Biology. 79.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/biol_etds/79
