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Scale-dependent resource selection and space use by Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) in a heterogenous mixed-shrub ecosystem

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Abstract

Wildlife use and select habitat at multiple scales, sometimes leading to conflicting interpretations of the importance of various habitat features analyzed at different scales. Species can also exhibit affinities that are unique to portions within their larger distribution. Conservationists need spatially explicit information on habitat use to develop effective management strategies for priority species. This information can be difficult to obtain for species that are highly mobile or occupy large home ranges. In this study, we used a distance sampling approach to estimate multi-scale resource selection for a highly mobile raptor, Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), based on data collected from line transect surveys combined with plotting tools in a geographic information system. We compared land cover of kite detection points to randomly located points at fine and broad spatial scales in a portion of the species’ breeding range in the southern Great Plains, USA. Dominant cover in these landscapes is a mix of grasses, forbs, and expansive stands of a dwarf oak tree (Quercus havardii) generally < 1 m in height. Resource selection in Mississippi Kite was driven by both fine and broad-scale vegetation characteristics. At a fine scale (~ 13 ha), kites selected small, upland forest patches but avoided grass cover and riparian forest. At a broader scale (~ 200 ha), kites avoided oil pads but selected grass cover. Broad-scale selection also favored uplands farther away from riparian forest cover. Both observed density and predicted occurrence suggested riparian avoidance. Avoidance of riparian forest is atypical for Mississippi Kite, but might be explained in this system as avoidance of areas occupied by nest predators of kites, especially Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).

Zusammenfassung

Skalenabhängige Ressourcenwahl und Raumnutzung von Mississippiweihen (Ictinia mississippiensis) in einem heterogenen Buschökosystem. Wild lebende Tiere nutzen und wählen Habitate nach verschiedenen Maßstäben, was gelegentlich zu gegensätzlichen Interpretationen der Bedeutung von verschiedenen Habitateigenschaften, die auf unterschiedlichen Skalen analysiert wurden, führt. Ebenso können Arten Affinitäten für ganz spezifische Bereiche innerhalb ihrer weiteren Verbreitung zeigen. Der Naturschutz benötigt zur Entwicklung effektiver Managementstrategien für prioritäre Arten aber räumlich genaue Informationen zur Habitatnutzung. Sie zu erlangen kann für Arten schwierig sein, die hochmobil sind oder große Home Ranges haben. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde auf mehreren räumlichen Ebenen die Ressourcenwahl einer hochmobilen Greifvogelart, der Mississippiweihe (Ictinia mississippiensis) mittels eines Distance sampling Ansatzes untersucht. Die gesammelten Daten basieren auf Linien-Transekt-Kartierungen in Kombination mit grafischen Anwendungswerkzeugen in einem Geografischen Informationssystem (GIS). In einem Teil des Brutgebietes dieser Art in den südlichen Great Plains, USA, verglichen wir die Landbedeckung an Orten mit Weihennachweisen mit zufällig ausgewählten Punkten in feinen und gröberen räumlichen Maßstäben. In diesen Landschaften wird die Vegetation dominiert von einem Mix aus Gräsern, Hochstaudenfluren und ausgedehnten Beständen von Zwergeichen (Quercus havardii) mit einer Höhe von weniger als 1 m. Die Ressourcenwahl der Mississippiweihen wurde sowohl von kleinräumigen wie auch großräumigen Vegetationsmerkmalen bestimmt. Kleinräumig (~ 13 ha) bevorzugten die Weihen kleine, höher gelegene Waldflächen und mieden Grasflächen und Auwälder. Im großräumigen Maßstab (~ 200 ha) mieden die Weihen Ölförderflächen, wählten jedoch verstärkt Grasflächen. Großräumig wurden auch Hochflächen in größerer Entfernung von Auwäldern favorisiert. Sowohl die beobachtete Dichte als auch das vorausgesagte Auftreten deuten eine Meidung von Uferhabitaten an. Die Meidung von Auwäldern ist aber untypisch für Mississippiweihen. Vermutlich hängt dies damit zusammen, dass sie Gebiete meiden, die von Nestprädatoren, insbesondere des Virginiauhu (Bubo virginianus), besiedelt sind.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (Project number F11AF00069) and was administered by the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Oklahoma State University. Further support was provided by the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station through the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the McIntire Stennis project at Oklahoma State University. We are grateful to the staff of Packsaddle WMA for providing logistic support during the fieldwork. Emily Sinnott, Case Wyatt, Nathan Hillis, Jodie Crose, and Alicia Maple provided valuable field assistance. We thank Dr. Adams Mathews of the Department of Geography Oklahoma State University for tremendous assistance with the study design and offering GIS analytical advice.

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and was administered by the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (project number F11AF00069).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Fidelis A. Atuo & Timothy J. O’Connell

  2. Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Fidelis A. Atuo

Authors
  1. Fidelis A. Atuo
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  2. Timothy J. O’Connell
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Contributions

F. A. A. and T. J. O. conceived the study. F. A. A. and T. J. O. designed the methods. F. A. A. collected and analyzed the data. F. A. A. wrote the paper. Both authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Fidelis A. Atuo.

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Ethics statement

Our study was completely observational. Studied subjects were not approached nor their behavior influenced by our study. Nonetheless, we obtained written approval to conduct the study from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Additional information

Communicated by C. G. Guglielmo.

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Atuo, F.A., O’Connell, T.J. Scale-dependent resource selection and space use by Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) in a heterogenous mixed-shrub ecosystem. J Ornithol 159, 901–911 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1567-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1567-7

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