AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Abundance of Diurnal Raptors on Open Space Grasslands in an Urbanized Landscape

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1998
Authors:Berry, ME, Bock, CE, Haire, SL
Journal:The Condor
Volume:100
Issue:4
Date Published:1998
ISBN Number:00105422
Keywords:Accipitridae, Archibuteo, Archibuteo regalis, Buteo, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo regalis, Buteo swainsoni, Buteo swainsonii, Cerchneis, Cerchneis sparverius, Falco, Falco mexicanus, Falco sparverius, Falco tinnunculus, Falconidae, Gennaia, Gennaia mexicanus, Haliaeetus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Hierofalco, Hierofalco mexicanus, Lagopus, Tinnunculus, Tinnunculus sparverius, Triorchis, Triorchis regalis
Abstract:We conducted point counts of diurnal raptors on Boulder, Colorado, grasslands for three winters and summers, and compared results to landscape features of the count areas. Four wintering species were scarce on plots that included significant amounts of urban habitat, with a critical landscape threshold at about 5-7% urbanization: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Rough-legged Hawk (B. lagopus), and Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). Counts of the first three species also were positively correlated with proximity of the count plots to the nearest colony of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Two breeding species, the Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis) and Swainson's Hawk (B. swainsoni), were more abundant on plots dominated by lowland hayfields and tallgrass prairies, as opposed to upland mixed and shortgrass prairies. They, along with the ubiquitous American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), were not sensitive to the amounts of urbanization (up to 30%) that occurred in the landscapes sampled. Results of this study suggest that urban open space grasslands can support sizable populations of most diurnal raptors, as long as prey populations persist, but that some species are highly sensitive to landscape urbanization.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1369742
Short Title:The Condor
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