Greater Sage-Grouse Select Nest Sites to Avoid Visual Predators But not Olfactory Predators

Greater Sage-grouse (centrocercus Urophasianus) Select Nest Sites and Brood Sites Away from Avian Predators

—Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have declined in distribution and abundance in western North America over the past century. Depredation of nests and predation of chicks can be two of the most influential factors limiting their productivity. Prey species utilize antipredation behaviors, such as predator avoidance, to reduce the risk of predation. Birds in general balance the dua...

Do artificial nests simulate nest success of greater sage-grouse?

Artificial nests have been used to study factors affecting nest success because researchers can manipulate them more than natural bird nests. Many researchers have questioned the validity of generalizing the results from artificial nests onto naturally occurring nests. Other studies have assessed the validity of artificial nest studies by simultaneously comparing overall depredation or daily su...

Interspecific Nest Parasitism by Chukar on Greater Sage-grouse

Nest Site Characteristics and Factors Affecting Nest Success of Greater Sage-grouse

Nesting success of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) influences annual reproductive success and population dynamics. To describe nesting habitat and measure the effects of vegetation characteristics on nesting outcomes, we sampled 87 sage-grouse nests during 2004 and 2005 in the Montana Mountains of northwestern Nevada. Within a 78.5-m 2 circular plot surrounding each nest, we qua...

ELISE . Mammalian Nest Predators Respond to Greenway

NOVOTNY, KRISTEN ELISE. Mammalian Nest Predators Respond to Greenway Width, Habitat Structure, and Landscape Context. (Under the direction of George R. Hess.) Birds of conservation concern breed in suburban greenways, yet abundant populations of mammals that depredate bird nests may compromise nest success. We evaluated how three factors influenced total mammalian nest predator abundance and in...