Nest site selection of the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) was studied on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, during 1982. Vegetative characteristics of 26 nest sites, all on prairie dog towns, were compared to a random sample of plots on prairie dog towns and adjacent areas. Total plant cover, grass cover, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha) density, and mean vegetation height were all significantly greater (P<0.05) in areas adjacent to prairie dog towns than at the nest sites; litter cover and fringed sagewort (Artemisia frigida) density were greater at the nest site. Within prairie dog towns, erosion pavement cover and mean vegetation height were greater on randomly sampled plots than at the nest sites. Mountain plovers select nest sites on prairie dog towns in patches of greater cover and less vegetative height than occur at random sites within the towns. Prairie dog towns offer islands of suitable mountain plover habitat and should be maintained on the Refuge, especially in light of the prairie dog control programs conducted on adjacent lands. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.