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Aspects of northern bobwhite ecology on south Florida US pastureland

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Abstract

During 2004 and 2005, we monitored breeding season survival, home range, habitat use, density, and reproduction of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in the peninsular region of Florida, USA. We radio-tagged 81 birds across a 20-km2 cattle ranch consisting predominately of rotationally grazed pastureland. Birds were radio-tracked three to five times per week until mortality or the transition to nonbreeding season. We found no difference in home range size among the sexes, ages, or their interaction. Mean home range size pooled for years, sexes, and age class was 56.28 ha (±7.87 SE). Home ranges of bobwhites were not distributed among habitats randomly (second order: Λ = 0.10; 7, 35 df; P = 0.002). In addition, bobwhites did not use the habitats within their home range at random (third order: Λ = 0.14, 5, 35 df; P = 0.02). Estimated seasonal survival was 0.28 (±0.12 SE) and was best explained by the time-dependent model. Reproductive metrics indicated adequate reproduction and values consistent with the bobwhite literature. Bobwhite density (birds per hectare) in 2004 was 0.52 (±0.54 95 % confidence interval [CI]) and 0.75 (±0.51 95 % CI) for 2005. These results suggest that pastureland landscapes managed with rotational grazing can support bobwhite populations, albeit at low densities. More conservation attention should be directed towards improving these systems for bobwhite restoration.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the following organizations that provided funding, equipment, support, and/or assistance for this project: the Florida Fish, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, and the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. We thank the owners and managers of the 2 × 4 Ranch. Valuable field assistance and data collection were provided by S. Wellendorf, Justin Fletcher, and Brad Pfeil. This paper was drastically improved by an anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9690, Mississippi, MS, 39762, USA

    J. A. Martin

  2. Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32312, USA

    W. E. Palmer

  3. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Georgia, GA, 30602, USA

    J. P. Carroll

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  1. J. A. Martin
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Correspondence to J. A. Martin.

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Communicated by P. Acevedo

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Martin, J.A., Palmer, W.E. & Carroll, J.P. Aspects of northern bobwhite ecology on south Florida US pastureland. Eur J Wildl Res 59, 205–214 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-012-0667-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-012-0667-6

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