Landscape Requirements of Caucasian Grouse (Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi) in Arasbaran Region, East Azerbaijan, Iran

Abstract

Abstract The Caucasian Grouse (Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi) is of conservation concern because it has been declining at least since the 1980s and has disappeared from parts of its range. We quantified landscape composition and configuration around Caucasian Grouse lek sites and random points within the Arasbaran Region in northeastern Azerbaijan, Iran at multiple scales (200-, 500-, and 1,000-m radii circles). We developed averaged logistic regression models based on Akaike Information Criterion weights for each scale. Habitat suitability models indicated good discrimination based on the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) criteria (three averaged-models had ROC values >0.8), indicating landscape pattern can explain distribution of leks reasonably well. Unconditional, model-averaged estimates and 95% confidence intervals for beta estimates of variables included within buffer-width models suggest leks in the 200-m buffer width are in areas with lower standard deviation in patch area. Lek sites in the 500-m b...