Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013

ABSTRACT We flew aerial line‐transect surveys to estimate the range‐wide population size of lesser prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in the Great Plains, United States in 2012 and 2013. We also estimated the number of lesser prairie‐chicken leks, the number of mixed‐species leks that con...

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Main Authors: Lyman McDonald, Grant Beauprez, Grant Gardner, Jim Griswold, Christian Hagen, Fawn Hornsby, David Klute, Sean Kyle, James Pitman, Troy Rintz, Doug Schoeling, Bill Van Pelt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-09-01
Series:Wildlife Society Bulletin
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.417
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author Lyman McDonald
Grant Beauprez
Grant Gardner
Jim Griswold
Christian Hagen
Fawn Hornsby
David Klute
Sean Kyle
James Pitman
Troy Rintz
Doug Schoeling
Bill Van Pelt
author_facet Lyman McDonald
Grant Beauprez
Grant Gardner
Jim Griswold
Christian Hagen
Fawn Hornsby
David Klute
Sean Kyle
James Pitman
Troy Rintz
Doug Schoeling
Bill Van Pelt
author_sort Lyman McDonald
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT We flew aerial line‐transect surveys to estimate the range‐wide population size of lesser prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in the Great Plains, United States in 2012 and 2013. We also estimated the number of lesser prairie‐chicken leks, the number of mixed‐species leks that contained both lesser and greater prairie‐chickens (T. cupido) and the number of hybrid lesser–greater prairie‐chickens where these species' ranges overlap. The study area included the 2011 estimated occupied lesser prairie‐chicken range in 5 states and was divided into 4 ecoregions. We created a sampling frame over the study area, consisting of 536 15‐ × 15‐km grid cells. We flew 512 transects within a probabilistic sample of 256 cells totaling 7,680 km in 2012 and 566 transects within a probabilistic sample of 283 cells totaling 8,490 km in 2013. We estimated a total of 34,440 individual lesser prairie‐chickens in 2012 (17,615 in 2013) and 350 hybrid lesser–greater prairie‐chickens in 2012 (342 in 2013) in the study area. We estimated a total of 2,930 lesser prairie‐chicken leks in 2012 (2,037 in 2013) and 453 lesser and greater prairie‐chicken mixed leks in 2012 (356 in 2013) in the study area. We discuss the implications of alternative sampling designs with regard to conservation questions to be addressed. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
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spelling doaj-art-6ec2e492bca043d194e6ab5eb2f016a42024-12-16T12:21:06ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402014-09-0138353654610.1002/wsb.417Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013Lyman McDonald0Grant Beauprez1Grant Gardner2Jim Griswold3Christian Hagen4Fawn Hornsby5David Klute6Sean Kyle7James Pitman8Troy Rintz9Doug Schoeling10Bill Van Pelt11Western EcoSystems TechnologyIncorporated200 S 2nd StreetSuite BLaramieWY82070USANew Mexico Department of Game and Fish513 New York DrivePortalesNM88130USAWestern EcoSystems TechnologyIncorporated200 S 2nd StreetSuite BLaramieWY82070USAWestern EcoSystems TechnologyIncorporated200 S 2nd StreetSuite BLaramieWY82070USAOregon State University500 SW Bond StreetSuite 107BendOR97702USAWestern EcoSystems TechnologyIncorporated200 S 2nd StreetSuite BLaramieWY82070USAColorado Parks and Wildlife6060 BroadwayDenverCO80216USATexas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentTTU Box 42125LubbockTX79409USAKansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and TourismEmporiaKS66801USAWestern EcoSystems TechnologyIncorporated200 S 2nd StreetSuite BLaramieWY82070USAOklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation1801 N Lincoln BoulevardOklahoma CityOK73105USAArizona Game and Fish Department5000 W Carefree HighwayPhoenixAZ85086USAABSTRACT We flew aerial line‐transect surveys to estimate the range‐wide population size of lesser prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in the Great Plains, United States in 2012 and 2013. We also estimated the number of lesser prairie‐chicken leks, the number of mixed‐species leks that contained both lesser and greater prairie‐chickens (T. cupido) and the number of hybrid lesser–greater prairie‐chickens where these species' ranges overlap. The study area included the 2011 estimated occupied lesser prairie‐chicken range in 5 states and was divided into 4 ecoregions. We created a sampling frame over the study area, consisting of 536 15‐ × 15‐km grid cells. We flew 512 transects within a probabilistic sample of 256 cells totaling 7,680 km in 2012 and 566 transects within a probabilistic sample of 283 cells totaling 8,490 km in 2013. We estimated a total of 34,440 individual lesser prairie‐chickens in 2012 (17,615 in 2013) and 350 hybrid lesser–greater prairie‐chickens in 2012 (342 in 2013) in the study area. We estimated a total of 2,930 lesser prairie‐chicken leks in 2012 (2,037 in 2013) and 453 lesser and greater prairie‐chicken mixed leks in 2012 (356 in 2013) in the study area. We discuss the implications of alternative sampling designs with regard to conservation questions to be addressed. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.417aerial surveysbird surveysdetection probabilitydistance methodsgrousehelicopter survey
spellingShingle Lyman McDonald
Grant Beauprez
Grant Gardner
Jim Griswold
Christian Hagen
Fawn Hornsby
David Klute
Sean Kyle
James Pitman
Troy Rintz
Doug Schoeling
Bill Van Pelt
Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
Wildlife Society Bulletin
aerial surveys
bird surveys
detection probability
distance methods
grouse
helicopter survey
title Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
title_full Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
title_fullStr Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
title_full_unstemmed Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
title_short Range‐wide population size of the lesser prairie‐chicken: 2012 and 2013
title_sort range wide population size of the lesser prairie chicken 2012 and 2013
topic aerial surveys
bird surveys
detection probability
distance methods
grouse
helicopter survey
url https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.417
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