Abstract Title
Breeding Ecology and Habitat Suitability of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) in Southern Idaho
Abstract
Ferruginous hawks inhabit grassland and shrub steppe ecosystems in the western and central United States. In the Great Basin, widespread habitat alterations are suggested as drivers of population declines and Ferruginous hawks are listed as a “Type II Sensitive Species” by the Bureau of Land Management. To better understand the characteristics of southern Idaho’s breeding population and its conservation needs we established a long-term collaborative monitoring program to provide baseline data on the ecology and population demography of Ferruginous hawks in and around the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. We monitored 76 breeding territories and documented territory occupancy and productivity between March and July 2017. We used a multivariate generalized linear model with model selection procedures to evaluate the relative importance of ecological attributes and human disturbance agents on Ferruginous hawk nest breeding success. Here, we present the results of our monitoring and preliminary models, and discuss their implications for Ferruginous hawk breeding ecology and management.
Breeding Ecology and Habitat Suitability of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) in Southern Idaho
Ferruginous hawks inhabit grassland and shrub steppe ecosystems in the western and central United States. In the Great Basin, widespread habitat alterations are suggested as drivers of population declines and Ferruginous hawks are listed as a “Type II Sensitive Species” by the Bureau of Land Management. To better understand the characteristics of southern Idaho’s breeding population and its conservation needs we established a long-term collaborative monitoring program to provide baseline data on the ecology and population demography of Ferruginous hawks in and around the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. We monitored 76 breeding territories and documented territory occupancy and productivity between March and July 2017. We used a multivariate generalized linear model with model selection procedures to evaluate the relative importance of ecological attributes and human disturbance agents on Ferruginous hawk nest breeding success. Here, we present the results of our monitoring and preliminary models, and discuss their implications for Ferruginous hawk breeding ecology and management.