AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

A Population Study of Lesser Prairie Chickens in New Mexico

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1972
Authors:Campbell, H
Journal:The Journal of Wildlife Management
Volume:36
Issue:3
Date Published:1972
ISBN Number:0022541X
Keywords:Phasianidae, Tympanuchus, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
Abstract:A total of 285 lesser prairie chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) were mist-netted in the spring on 16 booming grounds (display grounds) in eastern New Mexico during 1962-70. Life tables, based on capture-recapture data from 3 consistently trapped grounds, were constructed for males only, as comparatively few females were trapped and none was recaptured. The male population underwent virtually a complete turnover in about 5 years. The mean annual overall mortality rate of males was calculated at about 65 percent. Inefficiencies inherent in the trapping method (probable failure to recapture all banded birds present on booming grounds each year) presumably magnified the calculated mortality rate, possibly by about 5 to 10 percent. Age and sex ratios indicate that adult females had a higher mortality rate than adult males. The removal by hunting of about 1,100 birds per year, on the average, over a 12-year period had no observed harmful effect on the population. Recaptures of banded birds suggest that adult males are faithful throughout life to the same booming grounds where they initially established territories, but hunter recoveries show that at least some males shift for feeding purposes in fall and winter to harvested grain fields that may be several miles from their accustomed booming grounds.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/3799420
Short Title:The Journal of Wildlife Management
Taxonomic name: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith