Thesis
Landscapes used by breeding long-billed curlew in the Columbia Basin
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102562
Abstract
This thesis presents the results of behavioral and demographic studies conducted on Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) breeding among three study areas of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon within the Columbia Basin. In chapter one, I examined and compared landscape level habitat used at the nest and chick stage. Additionally, for chicks, I examined habitat selection patterns across the landscape and among local areas of high use by individual chicks and aggregations of chicks. Nest habitat was characterized primarily by grassland habitats with low shrub density whereas habitat used by chicks post-hatch was more widespread and included more structurally diverse habitat types. Chicks used a variety of primary habitat types, including grasslands and steppe habitat across the landscape, but where chicks aggregated and more frequently used among the local landscape were driven by available structure. In chapter two, I provided a practical tool for aging chicks that can easily be used by amateurs and professionals alike. I argue that culmen, a single predictor, reliably predicts chick age whereas inclusion of additional variables into a linear model likely incorporates additional unaccountable error. vii TABL
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Details
- Title
- Landscapes used by breeding long-billed curlew in the Columbia Basin
- Creators
- Sidra Ann Blake
- Contributors
- Rodney D. Saylor (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, College of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525022901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis