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EFFECTS OF CLIMATE ON SCALED QUAIL NEST SUCCESS AND BROOD SURVIVAL.
Author
Zummo, Krysten A.
Carleton, Scott A.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2016
Body

Across the southwestern U.S., scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) have been experiencing a contraction of their distribution range-wide. Habitat loss has been highlighted as one of the main causes of this range contraction, however areas in western Texas managed specifically for scaled quail are still seeing declines in populations, indicating that these declines may be independent of habitat-related factors. With climate models forecasting a shift in monsoonal seasons from June and July to August and September, scaled quail populations may be negatively impacted by changes in temperature, humidity, and precipitation during their critical reproductive period. In order to determine the potential impacts of these predicted changes on scaled quail populations, we are studying the effects of temperature, humidity, and precipitation on nest success rates in southwestern New Mexico during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons. Results from our first field season indicate scaled quail nesting begins in May before summer monsoon rains begin and increases after the start of the monsoon season in July. Nest success was high pre and post monsoon, however brood success was significantly higher after the start of the monsoon season than the pre monsoon period. Hygrochron temperature and humidity sensors placed in and immediately outside of nests indicate that hens are particularly good at buffering fluctuations in ambient temperature but poor at buffering nests against ambient humidity. Nest humidity closely tracked both dry and wet conditions (20-80%) throughout the incubation period. Overall, scaled quail had high nest success across a wide gradient of climate conditions, but brood success appears to be linked to seasonal monsoon precipitation patterns.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Corpus Christi, TX
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts