NDLI: Importance of agricultural landscapes to nesting burrowing owls in the Northern Great Plains, USA

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Restani, Marco Davies, J. Morgan Newton, Wesley E.
Copyright Year	2008
Abstract	Anthropogenic habitat loss and fragmentation are the principle factors causing declines of grassland birds. Declines in burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) populations have been extensive and have been linked to habitat loss, primarily the decline of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies. Development of habitat use models is a research priority and will aid conservation of owls inhabiting human-altered landscapes. From 2001 to 2004 we located 160 burrowing owl nests on prairie dog colonies on the Little Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota. We used multiple linear regression and Akaike’s Information Criterion to estimate the relationship between cover type characteristics surrounding prairie dog colonies and (1) number of owl pairs per colony and (2) reproductive success. Models were developed for two spatial scales, within 600 m and 2,000 m radii of nests for cropland, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), grassland, and prairie dog colonies. We also included number of patches as a metric of landscape fragmentation. Annually, fewer than 30% of prairie dog colonies were occupied by owls. None of the models at the 600 m scale explained variation in number of owl pairs or reproductive success. However, models at the 2,000 m scale did explain number of owl pairs and reproductive success. Models included cropland, crested wheatgrass, and prairie dog colonies. Grasslands were not included in any of the models and had low importance values, although percentage grassland surrounding colonies was high. Management that protects prairie dog colonies bordering cropland and crested wheatgrass should be implemented to maintain nesting habitat of burrowing owls.
Starting Page	977
Ending Page	987
Page Count	11
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09212973
Journal	Landscape Ecology
Volume Number	23
Issue Number	8
e-ISSN	15729761
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2008-08-28
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Athene cunicularia Black-tailed prairie dog Burrowing owl Crested wheatgrass Cynomys ludovicianus Fragmentation Grassland Habitat selection Plant Sciences Ecology Forestry Forestry Management Plant Ecology Landscape Ecology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Geography, Planning and Development Ecology Nature and Landscape Conservation

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