Scaled Quail Habitats Revisited - Oklahoma Panhandle

Scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations declined 50% from 1954-56 to 1990--91 in a 125 km2 study area. Food habits based on a sample of 150 quail crops remained unchanged. Abandonment of farms, land use, and climatic changes were hypothesized to be major factors responsible for the population decline

TB78: Food Habits and Body Measurements of Mourning Doves in Southwestern Maine

This study presents the first published information on the food in the crops of Maine mourning doves collected at the Western Maine Forest Nursery at Fryeburg. The main food was conifer seed (54. 6 percent volume). Red and white pine totaled 37. 6 percent of foods consumed. Corn and goosefoot comprised an additional 30.9 percent by volume in the diet. The heavy use of conifer seed by doves in a nursery suggests the need to treat the seed with a repellent. Maine doves were longer in total length than doves from New York and several southern states. The sex ratio of doves in the samples was heavily distorted to males.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1107/thumbnail.jp

Temperature and Humidity Relationships of Scaled Quail Nests in Southern New Mexico

We observed unmarked and radio-marked (20 females/1994; 9 females and 11 males/1995) scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) during the nesting season in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. In 1994, pairing was completed by early April. Clutch size averaged 13.8 ± 1.7 (n = 7). Nests were located an average 216 ± 13.8 m from permanent water. All 97 chicks disappeared from r~dio-marked pairs by 16. July. In 1995, all radio-marked females and 6 of the radio-marked males were paired by mid-April. Clutch size averaged 10.3 ± 1.3 m nests (n = 8) that averaged 545 ± 1.7 m from permanent water. Almost half of the hatched chicks (49.6%) fledged in 1995. Nest temperature never exceeded 34°C, while ambient temperatures reached ?43°C. Nest humidity averaged 23%, while ambient humidity averaged 12%

THE WELFARE AND ETHICS OF RESEARCH INVOLVING WILD ANIMALS: A PRIMER

ABSTRACT 1. Wild animals are used in scientific research in a wide variety of contexts both in situ and ex situ. Guidelines for best practice, where they exist, are not always clearly linked to animal welfare and may instead have their origins in practicality. This is complicated by a lack of clarity about indicators of welfare for wild animals, and to what extent a researcher should intervene in cases of compromised welfare. 2. This Primer highlights and discusses the broad topic of wild animal welfare and the ethics of using wild animals in scientific research, both in the wild and in controlled conditions. Throughout, we discuss issues associated with the capture, handling, housing and experimental approaches for species occupying varied habitats, in both vertebrates and invertebrates (principally insects, crustaceans and molluscs). 3. We highlight where data on the impacts of wild animal research are lacking and provide suggestive guidance to help direct, prepare and mitigate potential welfare issues, including the consideration of end-points and the ethical framework around euthanasia. 4. We conclude with a series of recommendations for researchers to implement from the design stage of any study that uses animals, right through to publication, and discuss the role of journals in promoting better reporting of wild animal studies, ultimately to the benefit of wild animal welfare

Porcupines

Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum), sometimes called “porkies” or “quill pigs,” are heavy-bodied, shortlegged, slow, and awkward rodents, with a waddling gait. Adults are typically 25 to 30 inches (64 to 76 cm) long and weigh 10 to 30 pounds (4.5 to 13.5 kg). They rely on their sharp, barbed quills (up to 30,000 per individual) for defense. The porcupine is a common resident of the coniferous forests of western and northern North America. It wanders widely and is found from cottonwood stands along prairie river bottoms and deserts to alpine tundra. Exclusion: Fences (small areas). Tree trunk guards. Cultural Methods: Encourage closed-canopy forest stands. Repellents: None are registered. Some wood preservatives may incidentally repel porcupines. Toxicants: None are registered. Fumigants: None are registered. Trapping: Steel leghold trap (No. 2 or 3). Body-gripping (Conibear®) trap (No. 220 or 330). Box trap. Shooting: Day shooting and spotlighting are effective where legal. Other Methods: Encourage natural predators

Pronghorn antelope (\u3ci\u3eAntilocapra americana\u3c/i\u3e)

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is not a true antelope but in a family by itself (Antilocapridae). It is native only to North America. Pronghorns currently have a scattered but widespread distribution throughout western North America. Pronghorns thrive in short and mixed grasslands and sagebrush grasslands. Pronghorns eat a variety of plants, mostly forbs and browse. Pronghorns depend on their eyesight and speed to escape enemies. Pronghorns sometimes cause damage to grain fields, alfalfa, and haystacks during the winter. Pronghorns have game-animal status in all of the western states

ATTITUDE CHANGE TOWARD VERTEBRATE PEST CONTROL

ABSTRACT: Attitudes of students enrolled in courses on wildlife damage control at two universities were surveyed at the beginning and end of the semester. Attitudes toward wildlife and acceptance of various damage control methods were quantified and compared to responses obtained from the general public in previous surveys. As a result of the class, both groups of students generally became more accepting of current vertebrate control practices, including toxicant use. Student attitudes, as a result of knowledge gained, came to be more realistic and practical. We believe that persons, when presented factual information about wildlife damage and its control, will develop beliefs that are more accurately in tune with the real world. With such information and attitudes, persons will be more supportive of the need to conduct wildlife damage control using today\u27s methods and materials