Game Bird Species Research Articles

Cholesteringehalt in Eiern und Blut von Federwild (Kurzmitteilung)

Abstract. Title of the paper: Cholesterol concentration in yolks and blood plasma in five species of game birds (short communication) Cholesterol concentrations were determined in yolks and blood plasma of five significant species of game birds (common partridge, wild turkey, common pheasant, guinea fowl, and chukar partridge). Two yolk samples and one blood plasma sample were collected from 15 female birds of each species. Dimensions, whole egg weight and weights of sheli, yolk, and white were recorded for each egg. Mean blood plasma concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the common partridge (3.44 mmol/1), the wild turkey (3.78 mmol/1), and the common pheasant (3.67 mmol/1) than in the guinea fowl (2.61 mmol/1) and the chukar partridge (2.26 mmol/1). Mean yolk cholesterol concentrations in the wild turkey (1030 mg/100 g), the guinea fowl, and the chukar partridge (both 1010 mg/100 g) were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than in the common pheasant (960 mg/100 g) and the common partridge (930 mg/100 g/1). Mean blood plasma cholesterol concentrations exceeded mean yolk concentrations by a 7- to !2fold. Blood plasma cholesterol concentrations were near the lower limit of the normal range for domestic fowl, while yolk concentrations in the game birds were markedly lower than in the domestic chicken.

Relative densities and habitat utilization of non-utilized, terrestrial gamebird populations in a natural savanna, South Africa

The objective of this study was to determine the relative population densities and habitat utilization of gamebird species in relation to plant communities, the amount of ecotone, and vegetation structure. The distribution of five terrestrial gamebird populations was monitored for 12 months in the Nyslvley Nature Reserve, South Africa. Only three species, Swainson's francolin (40.44% of the total gamebird population), crested francolin (10.41%) and guineafowl (43.94%), were found in significant numbers. Group sizes of these gamebird populations were typical for the species. The high amount of edge or ecotone (total amount of edge (DI) = 0.26), the short (9.36 cm) and evenly structured grass layer (mean Foliage Height Diversity (FHD) = 0.38), and a mosaic of open areas and termitaria thickets rendered the Sporobolus ioclados–Acacia tortilis Savanna suitable for gamebirds. The adjacent seasonally inundated floodplain was also utilized to some extent, mainly by Swainson's francolin. It appears that visibility is more important for gamebirds than a high diversity in grass structure. Also, a mosaic of feeding areas and cover makes an area suitable for terrestrial gamebirds. Of the gamebird species found in the reserve, only the Swainson's francolin, crested francolin and guineafowl populations had the potential to be harvested.

Field evidence for apparent competition mediated via the shared parasites of two gamebird species

Although apparent competition mediated via shared parasites is potentially an important force influencing community structure, there is limited evidence to demonstrate its occurrence in the field. Here we show that the intensity of infection by the caecal nematode Heterakis gallinarum picked up by naive grey partridges, both maintained in pens and released on six gamebird estates in the UK, is significantly correlated with the intensity of infection recorded in the previous year from pheasants on those estates. Furthermore, the worm burdens picked up appeared to be sufficient to negatively influence host condition. These results provide evidence that infection from pheasants determines the worm burdens of partridges in the field, supporting the hypothesis that parasite‐mediated apparent competition with the pheasant may be a factor influencing the decline and subsequent recovery of wild grey partridges.

Introduction

Introduction

The validity of open seasons for sandgrouse shooting: analysis of an 11‐year data set from Kenya

Variation in gonadal size of shot black‐faced sandgrouse, Pterocles decoratus, and chestnut‐bellied sandgrouse, P. exustus, considered to be indicative of their breeding condition, was studied to examine whether or not breeding seasons fall within the set shooting seasons for different parts of Kenya, and to reveal a possible relationship between rainfall patterns and the onset of breeding. Analysis of an eleven‐year data set shows large overlap between the present shooting season for sandgrouse and their main breeding period in southern Kenya, while seasons for other areas and other gamebird species seem appropriate in most years. Cumulative rainfall from four to six months earlier correlates positively with the proportion of birds breeding, while rainfall in the period shortly before breeding does not. These findings support the hypothesis that sandgrouse breed when seeds are likely to be most abundant. Results from this study further suggest that incubating females frequent waterholes more often than do males, possibly due to a higher water deficit. This hypothesis, however, needs further field testing with a genuinely random sample.

A methodology for assessing gamebird use of short rotation coppice

Gamebirds provide a considerable incentive to plant and manage new woodlands. The supplementary income thus generated can improve their overall value. Other studies suggest that Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) crops may provide an attractive habitat for some gamebird species and could increase the value of the crop. To investigate this, the use by pheasants and partridge of different types of SRC at one site was assessed. A method using sand quadrats to record gamebird footprints and hence relative use was developed. Pheasant footprints were recorded more frequently in the quadrats alongside the willow coppice, whereas partridge footprints occurred more frequently alongside the poplar coppice. Footprint analysis offers a reliable method of investigating how gamebirds use different types of SRC within small areas. The results are considered in terms of the placement of short rotation coppice plantations in the landscape to improve their ecological design.

Radiocesium in migratory bird species in northern ireland following the chernobyl accident

Radioactive fallout arising form the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986 reached Northern Ireland in early May and was deposited in rain. However, the subsequent contamination of food supplies in Northern Ireland were well below national and international levels at which any action would be considered necessary and presented no risks to health. In addition to the direct contamination of food supplies with radionuclides in the form of fallout following the Chernobyl incident another potential source of radioactive contamination entering the human food chain was through the arrival of migratory species of game birds. Each autumn and winter many thousands of birds migrate to Northern Ireland from Northern and Eastern Europe and some of these could have been contaminated as a result of being directly affected by the fallout from Chernobyl. The purpose of this work was to examine the extend of radionuclide contamination in such species and a number of samples were obtained for analyses during the autumn/winter periods in 1986/87 and 1987/88. The results obtained are outlined below. 5 refs., 3 tabs.

Estimation of Confidence Intervals for Federal Waterfowl Harvest Surveys

I developed methods of estimating confidence intervals for the federal waterfowl harvest surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). I estimated flyway harvest confidence intervals for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) (95% CI are ?8% of the estimate), Canada geese (Branta canadensis) (? 11%), black ducks (Anas rubripes) ( 16%), canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) (?32%), snow geese (Chen caerulescens) (?43%), and brant (Branta bernicla) (?46%). Differences between annual estimates of 10, 13, 22, 42, 43, and 58% could be detected with mallards, Canada geese, black ducks, canvasbacks, snow geese, and brant, respectively. Estimated confidence intervals for state harvests tended to be much larger than those for the flyway estimates. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 54(2):201-205 The federal waterfowl harvest surveys provide estimates of (1) waterfowl harvest by species for flyways and states, (2) harvests of most other migratory game bird species by waterfowl hunters, (3) crippling losses for ducks, geese, and American coots (Fulica americana), (4) days hunted, and (5) bag per hunter (Voelzer et al. 1982). Information on waterfowl harvests in the United States comes from the Postal Service's report of duck stamp sales, the waterfowl hunter survey, and the waterfowl parts collection survey (Couling et al. 1982, Voelzer et al. 1982). Waterfowl managers should consider the reliability of harvest estimates when making management decisions. Differences among annual harvest estimates may result from sampling variability and may not represent real changes in harvest. Confidence intervals help managers distinguish between sampling variability and changes that may require action. Consequently, I documented methods used to estimate waterfowl harvest and developed methods of estimating confidence intervals. Confidence intervals are not usually reported with harvest estimates. The intervals I computed suggest the magnitude of annual fluctuations in harvest estimates that can be expected due to chance alone. Confidence intervals are presented for flyway harvests of mallards, black ducks, canvasbacks, Canada geese, snow geese, and brant, and for state harvests of mallards. E. M. Martin provided advice on the procedures for conducting and analyzing the current waterfowl harvest survey. C. M. Bunck, J. E. Hines, R. E. Trost, and B. K. Williams made helpful suggestions, and C. B. Thrash and E. Brown, Jr. provided computing assistance. Waterfowl Survey Procedures In spring, the Migratory Bird Management Office (USFWS) randomly selects a sample of 3,000 out of 16,000 post offices that sell duck stamps. The survey is stratified by geographic zones within states and by 3 post office size categories based on the number of duck stamps sold ( 999). Numbers of sample post offices are allocated to strata so that the same proportion is sampled in every stratum. Each post office is a cluster sample of duck stamp buyers. Contact cards for this hunter survey are sent to sample post offices before duck stamp sales begin on 1 July. Two reminders to hand out contact cards are sent to sample post offices, one shortly before the season opens and another about mid-season. When a person buys a duck stamp a a selected post office, the clerk gives the buyer a contact card. The buyer is asked to return the card with his/her name and address and an indication of whether or not the stamp was purchased for hunting or collecting. The card informs buyers that they will receive a questionnaire about duck harvests, and it provides a brief diary in which to record hunting activity. Approximately 19% of the stamp purchasers at sample post offices return contact cards by deadline just before the close of the hunting season in their states. Those who plan to hunt are included in the hunter survey. About 70,000 questionnaires are mailed shortly after the close of the season, and after 3 or 4 weeks a follow up ' Present address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management Office, Laurel, MD 20708.

Copper, nickel, and iron in plumage of three upland gamebird species from non-contaminated environments.

High levels of atmospheric contamination and particulate fallout characterizing the Industrial Basin of the copper-nickel smelting operations at Sudbury, Ontario, were shown to be reflected in the feather chemistry of resident ruffed grouse populations. Of considerable concern, however, is the paucity of information on background concentrations of elemental metals that could be considered normal for non-contaminated environments. The present report examines concentrations of copper, nickel and iron in the plumage of three tetraonid species collected from remote and undisturbed areas in Northern Ontario and Quebec.

Correlation of Habitat Variables with Mourning Dove Call Counts in Texas

Habitat variables correlated with mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) call counts on 133 random transects differed between ecological areas. Whether or not a particular habitat variable was correlated with call counts appeared to depend upon the abundance and distribution of the other habitat types and structural features present. If 1 or more of the requisites for dove survival and reproduction (food, water, cover, nest sites) was limited, habitat types and structural features which provided them were usually positively correlated with call counts. Conversely, abundant habitat types which did not provide all of these requisites were usually negatively correlated with call counts. Results may be useful in improving habitat for breeding mourning doves within the Southeast, Great Plains, and Southwest. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 47(1):186-195 The mourning dove has the widest range of any game bird in the United States. It is the only one to nest in all contiguous 48 states and is the most important game bird species in North America in terms of numbers and hunter harvest (Keeler 1977). Management in the United States has been almost entirely restricted to control of harvest based on fluctuations in breeding populations monitored nationwide by call-count surveys (Dolton 1977). While some breeding populations have decreased (Dolton 1977), hunter harvest within the United States has increased to more than 49 million doves (Keeler 1977). If demand for use of the dove resource continues to increase, habitat management may become essential. Studies on the mourning dove that may be useful in establishing guidelines for management of its breeding habitat within a variety of vegetation types are lacking. Field studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using call counts to detect annual changes in mourning dove populations (Foote and Peters 1952). Each callcount transect consists of 20 listening points (3-min stops) at 1.6-km intervals along secondary roads (Dolton 1977). Population indices derived from these surveys are believed to be biologically and statistically sound for detecting annual changes in breeding dove densities (Dolton 1977). If the number of doves heard calling reflects the density of doves within the radius of audibility (50.8 km, Davey 1953), it may be possible to determine the habitat variables associated with different densities during the breeding season. The objective of our study was to identify those habitat variables correlated with dove densities obtained from call-count surveys. Texas was well suited for such a study because of its size and habitat diversity (Godfrey et al. 1967, Gould 1975). This research was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Caesar Kleberg Research Program in Wildlife Ecology, and the Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Article 14075. 2 Present address: Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD 20708. 3 Present address: Espey-Huston and Associates, Austin, TX 78732. 186 J. Wildl. Manage. 47(1):1983 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.175 on Thu, 11 Aug 2016 06:14:16 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms HABITAT VARIABLES ON MOURNING DOVE CALL-COUNT ROUTES * Grue et al. 187 Department. We thank J. H. Dunks, J. T. Robertson, and other personnel of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for providing the call-count data, T. L. Blankenship, S. A. Cooper, and V. H. Silvy for help with the habitat surveys, C. M. Bunck for statistical assistance, and S. L. Beasom, C. E. Braun, F. E. Smeins, and W. G. Swank for review of the manuscript. This paper constitutes part of a dissertation by the senior author.

Seasonal Food Habits of Four Game Bird Species in Okanogan County, Washington

Seasonal Food Habits of Four Game Bird Species in Okanogan County, Washington

Some Observations on the Bursa of Fabricius in Chukars

This paper reports a method to distinguish birds-of-the-year, hereinafter referred to as juveniles, from adults in chukars (Alectoris graeca) during the fall by measuring the depth of the bursa. When young chukars have completed their post-juvenal molt, normally before the end of October, they are difficult to distinguish accurately from adults by external characteristics. The shape and coloration of the juvenal primaries IX and X, which are retained during the first winter of life, have been used as a basis for making this age distinction; but results are uncertain except perhaps with very experienced workers (Smith, 1961). Retention of a few juvenal secondaries (conspicuously mottled) has also been used in the attempt to distinguish young chukars from adults in the fall but the method is unreliable (Smith, 1961). Only 7 (13.7 per cent) of the 51 juveniles included in the present study still retained any mottled secondaries on October 19, and these 7 birds were all from a late hatch. The depth of the bursa of Fabricius is the only known characteristic by which age determination in chukars can be made with certainty during late fall and early winter. The bursa is a blind sac opening antero-dorsally into the cloaca of birds. Bursae tend to be prominent in young birds and to regress with the onset of sexual maturity. The structure has been known to anatomists for centuries, but Gower (1939) was the first to point out its value in wildlife management. Since then it has been studied in numerous species of game birds (Taber, 1960). Measurement of the bursa is of limited value in aging hunter-killed chukars since the bursa is usually removed when birds are field-dressed. Evidence that this method of aging is applicable to Turkish chukars (probably subspecies cypriotes) is shown in Table 1. This table is based on 150 known-age, known-sex birds hatched and reared at the State Game Bird Farm, Carlsbad, New Mexico. The birds were descendants of chukars wild-trapped in Asiatic Turkey in 1951-52. During the period October 19-22, 1960, the experimental birds were sacrificed and a variety of biological data was secured from them. Bursae were measured with a small metal knitting needle marked off into 5-mm intervals. Bursal depths were estimated to the nearest millimeter. Because

A Two-Summer Study of the Effects on Bird Populations of Chlordane Bait and Aldrin Spray as Used for Grasshopper Control

During the past three years, the insecticides chlordane, toxaphene, and aldrin have been extensively used for the control of grasshoppers in certain western states (Annual Control Reports of the Division of Grasshopper Control, 1949, 1950, and 1951). This widespread useage has aroused considerable concern as to the effects on wildlife populations. Post (1951) determined through laboratory experiments the minimum lethal dose of chlordane and toxaphene for three species of game birds. He also made extensive field observations in Wyoming following the use of these insec icides for grasshopper control. Jackson (unpublished thesis) fed chlordane and toxaphene treated food to penned pheasants. Linduska and Springer (1950) determined by feeding tests the comparative toxicity of chlordane and toxaphene for bobwhite quail. The present paper summarizes the results of a two-summer study in Montana of the effects of chlordane and SA joint contribution from Montana State College, Agricultural Experiment Station, Project No. MS844, Paper No. 253 Journal Series and the Wildlife Restoration Division, Project 38-R, Montana Fish and Game Department.

A Natural Infection of Quail by B. Tularense.

Studies indicating that several species of game birds are susceptible to experimental invasion by B. tularense have previously been reported by Parker and Spencer and by Green and Wade., These findings indicated that a careful search might reveal natural cases of tularemia in birds. Parker has recently demonstrated that experimental tularemia may be produced in quail by feeding infective material. The infections so produced were fatal. In a report of this work, Parker cites 2 cases of human tularemia in which the infection may have been obtained from quail. The experimental demonstration and subsequent isolation of B. tularense in a quail dying in the wild is here reported. A flock of 10 or 12 quail living near the outskirts of Minneapolis was under the observation of near-by residents. On February 17th, at the height of Minnesota winter, the covey, which had apparently decreased in number to 6, was accidentally flushed. One bird was unable to fly and was picked up. A second flew blindly into the side of a building but resumed flight in another direction. The 4 remaining birds were described as having an unsteady and unnatural flight. The captured quail was taken inside a house and died during the night. The next day it was brought to the laboratory for examination. As the carcass was frozen, necropsy was delayed until the following day. This quail is designated as No. 1. On February 21st, another resident of the community followed the tracks of a single quail and found the bird lying dead at the bottom of a snow bank. He buried the carcass, which was already frozen, in the snow bank. Three days later it was picked up, but was not brought to the laboratory for necropsy until February 26th, 5 days after the bird was found dead. This quail is designated as No. 2.