Whooping crane stopover site use intensity within the Great Plains
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- Document: Report (2.48 MB pdf)
- Dataset: Dataset
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Abstract
Whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate twice each year through the Great Plains in North America. Recovery activities for this endangered species include providing adequate places to stop and rest during migration, which are generally referred to as stopover sites. To assist in recovery efforts, initial estimates of stopover site use intensity are presented, which provide opportunity to identify areas across the migration range used more intensively by whooping cranes. We used location data acquired from 58 unique individuals fitted with platform transmitting terminals that collected global position system locations. Radio-tagged birds provided 2,158 stopover sites over 10 migrations and 5 years (2010–14). Using a grid-based approach, we identified 1,095 20-square-kilometer grid cells that contained stopover sites. We categorized occupied grid cells based on density of stopover sites and the amount of time cranes spent in the area. This assessment resulted in four categories of stopover site use: unoccupied, low intensity, core intensity, and extended-use core intensity. Although provisional, this evaluation of stopover site use intensity offers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners a tool to identify landscapes that may be of greater conservation significance to migrating whooping cranes. Initially, the tool will be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other interested parties in evaluating the Great Plains Wind Energy Habitat Conservation Plan.
Suggested Citation
Pearse, A.T., Brandt, D.A., Harrell, W.C., Metzger, K.L., Baasch, D.M., and Hefley, T.J., 2015, Whooping crane stopover site use intensity within the Great Plains: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1166, 12 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151166.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Summary
- References Cited
Publication type | Report |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
Title | Whooping crane stopover site use intensity within the Great Plains |
Series title | Open-File Report |
Series number | 2015-1166 |
DOI | 10.3133/ofr20151166 |
Year Published | 2015 |
Language | English |
Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
Publisher location | Reston, VA |
Contributing office(s) | Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center |
Description | v, 12 p. |
Time Range Start | 2010-01-01 |
Time Range End | 2014-12-31 |
Country | Canada, United States |
State | Alberta, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Northwest Territories, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Texas |
Other Geospatial | Great Plains |
Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |