Article
 

Lesser prairie-chicken fence collision risk across its northern distribution

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/pn89d856n

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Livestock fences have been hypothesized to significantly contribute to mortality of lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus); however, quantification of mortality due to fence collisions is lacking across their current distribution. Variation in fence density, landscape composition and configuration, and land use could influence collision risk of lesser prairie-chickens. We monitored fences within 3 km of known leks during spring and fall and surveyed for signs of collision occurrence within 20 m of fences in 6 study sites in Kansas and Colorado, USA during 2013 and 2014. We assessed mortality locations of radio-tagged birds (n = 286) for evidence of fence collisions and compared distance to fence relative to random points. Additionally, we quantified locations, propensity, and frequency of fences crossed by lesser prairie-chickens. We tested for landscape and vegetative characteristics that influenced fence-cross propensity and frequency of global positioning system (GPS)-marked birds. A minimum of 12,706 fence crossings occurred by GPS-marked lesser prairie-chickens. We found 3 carcasses and 12 additional possible instances of evidence of collision during >2,800 km of surveyed fences. We found evidence for a single suspected collision based on carcass evidence for 148 mortalities of transmittered birds. Mortality locations of transmittered birds were located at distances from fences 15% farther than expected at random. Our data suggested minimal biological significance and indicated that propensity and frequency of fence crossings were random processes. Lesser prairie-chickens do not appear to be experiencing significant mortality risk due to fence collisions in Kansas and Colorado. Focusing resources on other limiting factors (i.e., habitat quality) has greater potential for impact on population demography than fence marking and removal.
  • Keywords: Colorado, lesser prairie-chicken, management, Kansas, fences, mortality, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
  • Keywords: Colorado, lesser prairie-chicken, management, Kansas, fences, mortality, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Robinson, S. G., Haukos, D. A., Plumb, R. T., Hagen, C. A., Pitman, J. C., Lautenbach, J. M., ... & Lautenbach, J. D. (2016). Lesser prairie‐chicken fence collision risk across its northern distribution. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 80(5), 906-915. doi:10.1002/jwmg.1073
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 80
Journal Issue/Number
  • 5
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • Funding for the project was provided by Kansas Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (Federal Assistance Grant KS W-73-R-3); United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Services CRP Monitoring, Assessment, and Evaluation (12-IA-MRE CRP TA#7, KSCFWRU RWO 62); and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details RobinsonLesserPrairieChicken.pdf 2017-07-26 Public Download