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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

USGS2012

The Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium

Palmyra Atoll in the tropical Pacific is the site of some exciting work by scientists from a diverse collection of research institutions. The Palmyra Atoll Research Consortium (PARC) fosters collaborative multi- and inter-disciplinary research by U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) agencies (USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service–USFWS), academic institutions (for example, Stanford University, University of California, and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand) and non-governmental organizations (for example, American Museum of Natural History and The Nature Conservancy) on the terrestrial and marine ecosystems at Palmyra Atoll. USGS has been a member of PARC since its inception in 2004. Palmyra functions as a living laboratory. It is a low-lying coral atoll located about 1,800 kilometers south/southwest of Hawaii near the equator in the central Pacific Ocean (latitude 5°53'N, longitude 162°05'W). Palmyra Atoll and nearby Kingman Reef are U.S. territories and represent the northern atolls/reefs of the U.S. Line Islands. Palmyra also is one of the nine sovereign territories of the United States commonly referred to as the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs) that straddle the equator (fig. 1). Palmyra Atoll and nearby Kingman Reef also were included as part of the seven territories that comprise the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument set aside by President Bush in 2009 (Proclamation 8336), which includes the same territories as the PRIAS, except Rose Atoll and Midway Atoll.

Palmyra Atoll↗

USGS2011

Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor): foraging behavior

Boa constrictor is often referred to as a sit-and-wait or ambush forager that chooses locations to maximize the likelihood of prey encounters (Greene 1983. In Janzen [ed.], Costa Rica Natural History, pp. 380-382. Univ. Chicago Press, Illinois). However, as more is learned about the natural history of snakes in general, the dichotomy between active versus ambush foraging is becoming blurred. Herein, we describe an instance of diurnal active foraging by a B. constrictor, illustrating that this species exhibits a range of foraging behaviors.

Herpetological Review↗

USGS2022

The potential of semi-structured citizen science data as a supplement for conservation decision-making: Validating the performance of eBird against targeted avian monitoring efforts

Methods are being developed to capitalize on citizen science data for research and monitoring, but these data are rarely used within established decision-making frameworks of wildlife agencies. Citizen science data are often collected at higher resolution and extent than targeted monitoring programs, and may provide complementary information. Here, we demonstrate that carefully filtered semi-structured citizen science observations, when paired with targeted survey data, can produce ecological predictions at higher resolution and extent than targeted surveys alone, and both datasets can represent complementary aspects of species' ecology. We present case studies demonstrating how citizen science data can enhance or supplement decision-making of government and conservation organizations. First, we show how the continuous spatial coverage of citizen science projects, when coupled with targeted surveys, can improve estimates of metrics used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in regulatory processes to estimate population size, and inform take limits of federally managed species nationwide. Second, we show that the spatial coverage of citizen science accommodates dynamic avian space use patterns during key times of the year, relative to standardized monitoring protocols carried out by the Illinois Natural History Survey. Lastly, we demonstrate that citizen science information can replicate estimates of migratory chronologies for the Illinois Natural History Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for some waterfowl species, and in some contexts can supplement missing data on abundance. These findings illustrate the value of integrating validated information from semi-structured citizen science into the current evidence base used to justify, inform, and evaluate conservation decision-making.

California, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri↗

USGS2009

Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor

Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor, estimates the ecological risks associated with colonization of the United States by nine large constrictors. The nine include the world's four largest snake species (Green Anaconda, Eunectes murinus; Indian or Burmese Python, Python molurus; Northern African Python, Python sebae; and Reticulated Python, Broghammerus reticulatus), the Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor), and four species that are ecologically or visually similar to one of the above (Southern African Python, Python natalensis; Yellow Anaconda, Eunectes notaeus; DeSchauensee's Anaconda, Eunectes deschauenseei; and Beni Anaconda, Eunectes beniensis). At present, the only probable pathway by which these species would become established in the United States is the pet trade. Although importation for the pet trade involves some risk that these animals could become established as exotic or invasive species, it does not guarantee such establishment. Federal regulators have the task of appraising the importation risks and balancing those risks against economic, social, and ecological benefits associated with the importation. The risk assessment quantifies only the ecological risks, recognizing that ecosystem processes are complex and only poorly understood. The risk assessment enumerates the types of economic impacts that may be experienced, but leaves quantification of economic costs to subsequent studies. Primary factors considered in judging the risk of establishment were: (1) history of establishment in other countries, (2) number of each species in commerce, (3) suitability of U.S. climates for each species, and (4) natural history traits, such as reproductive rate and dispersal ability, that influence the probability of establishment, spread, and impact. In addition, the risk assessment reviews all management tools for control of invasive giant constrictor populations. There is great uncertainty about many aspects of the risk assessment; the level of uncertainty is estimated separately for each risk component. Overall risk was judged to be high for five of the giant constrictors studied, and medium for the other four species. Because all nine species shared a large number of natural history traits that promote invasiveness or impede population control, none of the species was judged to be of low risk.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2015

Not to put too fine a point on it - does increasing precision of geographic referencing improve species distribution models for a wide-ranging migratory bat?

Bat specimens held in natural history museum collections can provide insights into the distribution of species. However, there are several important sources of spatial error associated with natural history specimens that may influence the analysis and mapping of bat species distributions. We analyzed the importance of geographic referencing and error correction in species distribution modeling (SDM) using occurrence records of hoary bats ( Lasiurus cinereus ). This species is known to migrate long distances and is a species of increasing concern due to fatalities documented at wind energy facilities in North America. We used 3,215 museum occurrence records collected from 1950–2000 for hoary bats in North America. We compared SDM performance using five approaches: generalized linear models, multivariate adaptive regression splines, boosted regression trees, random forest, and maximum entropy models. We evaluated results using three SDM performance metrics (AUC, sensitivity, and specificity) and two data sets: one comprised of the original occurrence data, and a second data set consisting of these same records after the locations were adjusted to correct for identifiable spatial errors. The increase in precision improved the mean estimated spatial error associated with hoary bat records from 5.11 km to 1.58 km, and this reduction in error resulted in a slight increase in all three SDM performance metrics. These results provide insights into the importance of geographic referencing and the value of correcting spatial errors in modeling the distribution of a wide-ranging bat species. We conclude that the considerable time and effort invested in carefully increasing the precision of the occurrence locations in this data set was not worth the marginal gains in improved SDM performance, and it seems likely that gains would be similar for other bat species that range across large areas of the continent, migrate, and are habitat generalists.

Acta Chiropterologica↗

USGS2008

Late-seasonal activity and diet of the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) in Nebraska

In North America, Nebraska represents part of the northwestern edge of the distribution for the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis). To date, little information on this bat's natural history has been published from the state or from other parts of the Great Plains. Here we report on aspects of its natural history in Nebraska from 2 localities. In late summer and early autumn of 2006, we documented individuals farther west in Nebraska (Harlan County) than previously reported and determined that individuals fed mainly on Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. In 2006, evening bats appeared to migrate from Nebraska during late September-early October, and individuals were extremely fat, about 15 g, prior to migration. Evening bats likely are more widespread and common in south central Nebraska than previously documented. On 6 October 2005, we reported on an individual from eastern Nebraska (Douglas County), which represents the latest seasonal record of N. humeralis from the state.

Western North American Naturalist↗

USGS2017

Developing an effective Agassiz's Desert Tortoise monitoring program: Final report to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission

Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a conservation-reliant species with populations north and west of the Colorado River protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (Averill-Murray et al. 2012). Since it was listed under this category in 1990, a great deal has been learned about the natural history of the species, and it is now one of the best-studied turtles in the United States (Lovich and Ennen 2013). However, the accumulated body of scientific data available for the species has not yet been translated into recovery or delisting of the species. Successful conservation of any species requires knowledge of their natural history and how vital rates affect their ability to maintain stable populations in the face of natural and anthropogenic stresses. Agassiz’s desert tortoises occur from southwestern Utah to near the Mexican border in California – a distance of over 450 km – but population densities vary greatly across this immense landscape (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2015). Tortoises occur in the Sonoran Desert of California, including the eastern and western ends of the Coachella Valley, where it is one of 27 species covered under the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP/NCCP). The southern portion of Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) lies within this 1.1 million acre planning area, and was predicted to be an area of low-density tortoise populations using habitat suitability modeling (Barrows 2011). JTNP is near the southern distributional limit of G. agassizii, yet very little has been published regarding the ecology of tortoises in the Sonoran Desert of California. Reproductive output is an important gross measure of the ability of a population to persist. When integrated with data on fertility and survivorship, this information forms a foundation for assessing population status and formulating effective management strategies (e.g., Congdon et al. 1993, 1994), especially for imperiled species. One aspect of the biology of G. agassizii that has been particularly well-studied is reproductive output. However, most of what we know about this topic comes from research in the Mojave Desert portion of the species’ range (Ernst and Lovich 2009). Comparatively little has been published on the reproductive ecology of populations living in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of California. Publications by Lovich et al. (1999, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) constitute the main body of literature on desert tortoise reproductive ecology in the Sonoran Desert of California, with one study population located at the western end of the CVMSHCP/NCCP area. Collecting data on Agassiz’s desert tortoise ecology in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem is important due to significant differences between the two adjacent desert ecosystems, especially the timing and amounts of annual precipitation, and their potential effects on reproductive output (e.g., Lovich et al. 5 2015). There are also differences in the vulnerability of tortoises to the effects of a warming, drying climate between the two deserts (Barrows 2011; Zylstra et al. 2012). The overall goal of this study was to collect data on demography, reproductive output, and genetic affinities at a study site in the Sonoran Desert portion of JTNP in the eastern end of the CVMSHCP/NCCP area. Specific objectives included: 1) Collect data to establish baselines on tortoise populations and/or their habitat suitability in core habitat within the CVNCCP area, including biotic and abiotic variables affecting persistence of tortoise populations; 2) Compare and contrast with data collected on desert tortoises at USGS/BLM study site near Palm Springs over 16 years; 3) Support long-term modeling efforts needed to determine tortoise population viability; 4) Refine modeled relationships with identified threats such as fire, invasive species and climate change; and 5) Prioritize adaptive management needs for the desert tortoise in and beyond the CVNCCP area. The data from this study will aid in determining baseline estimates of the desert tortoise population size within the planning area as well as establish a marked population of Agassiz’s desert tortoises for future monitoring. Data will be integrated with habitat modeling in order to refine model output. Genetic data will be collected on both the north and south sides of Interstate 10 to determine the potential effects of habitat fragmentation and genetic mixing. Analyses are ongoing and results beyond those presented in this report will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals following inclusion of additional data collected on the south side of Shavers Valley in 2017-2018.

Report↗

USGS2013

On the correct name of Icterus bullockii (Passeriformes: Icteridae)

William Bullock was an Englishman who owned the Egyptian Hall (also known as the London Museum or Bullock’s Museum) at Piccadilly in London, a museum opened in 1812 to display his collection of antiquities, artifacts, and natural history specimens. Following the sale of Bullock’s collection in 1819, the Egyptian Hall served as an exhibition space. Bullock and his son, William Bullock, Jr., both enthusiastic naturalists, travelled in Mexico in 1822–1823, spending some six months together collecting natural history specimens and other artifacts for exhibition and investigating mining and other business opportunities (Costeloe 2006). The elder Bullock returned to London with the collections in 1823, but his son, while ostensibly managing the silver mine his father had purchased in Temascaltepec, outside of Mexico City, continued to travel in Mexico and collect specimens, often in the company of German naturalist Ferdinand Deppe (Costeloe 2006). William Bullock, Sr., meanwhile prepared the Mexican collection for exhibition at the Egyptian Hall. Twin exhibitions on ancient and modern Mexico opened, with much fanfare, in April 1824, and were a great success, remaining open until September 1825 (Costeloe 2006). Afterwards, the contents of the exhibitions were dispersed via auction, but not before Bullock had made the bird specimens available to English naturalist William Swainson for “recording this portion of his discoveries” (Swainson 1827: 365).

Zootaxa↗

USGS2018

Population genomic surveys for six rare plant species in San Diego County, California

San Diego County is a hotspot of biodiversity, situated at the intersection of the Baja peninsula, the California floristic province, and the desert southwest. This hotspot is characterized by a high number of rare and endemic species, which persist alongside a major urban epicenter. San Diego County has implemented a strategic management plan that identifies species, based on low numbers of occurrences or high level of threat, for which management practices are recommended. In creating a management plan for rare species, it is important to strike a balance between preserving locally adapted traits and maintaining genetic diversity, as species’ ranges fluctuate in response to a changing climate and habitat fragmentation. This project, in partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum, aims to provide a reference point for the current status of genetic diversity of rare plant species that will inform future preservation and restoration efforts. We focused on six threatened or endangered plant species: Acanthomintha ilicifolia , Baccharis vanessae , Chloropyron maritimum ssp. maritimum , Deinandra conjugens , Dicranostegia orcuttiana , and Monardella viminea . For each species, botanists from the San Diego Natural History Museum visited all known occurrences in San Diego County and collected leaf tissue for genetic and cytological analysis. We then developed a panel of genetic markers to estimate genetic diversity and population structure. This population genetic survey provided insight into the amount of genetic differentiation across each species’ range, identified isolated occurrences potentially subject to inbreeding or genetic bottlenecks, and identified areas that are rich sources of allelic diversity. Finally, we convened a panel of experts to review results and compatible management options for each species. A summary of the management workshop is included in this report. Overall, we found low genetic differentiation among occurrences across the San Diego region for all species, with the exception of A. ilicifolia . Relative inbreeding was low and consistent across sites, and genetic diversity across sites was variable, with noted exceptions. These findings allow for a wide array of management options that are compatible with panmictic population structure in five of the six surveyed species.

California↗

USGS2012

Mammals of Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, with comments on McCurtain County, Oklahoma

Red Slough Wildlife Management Area (RSWMA) is located in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma, McCurtain County, and represents the extreme northwestern extent of the South Central Plains (SCP) ecoregion. Previous mammal research in southeastern Oklahoma has focused mostly on the Ouachita Mountains to the north of RSWMA. As a result, of the 69 species of mammals potentially occurring in McCurtain County, only 48 species represented by 599 voucher specimens reside in natural history collections. We present results from a mammal survey of RSWMA conducted from December 2009 to August 2010. We captured 574 non-volant small mammals in 9,115 trap-nights, 11 bats in 17 net-nights, and seven salvaged meso-mammals resulting in 157 voucher specimens of 22 mammal species, including the first specimen of Castor canadensis for McCurtain County, and photographic vouchers for eight additional species from RSWMA. These results provide a baseline for future studies on RSWMA and substantially increase our natural history knowledge for many relatively under-studied mammals in southeastern Oklahoma

Oklahoma↗

USGS2019

Review of Sky dance of the woodcock: The habits and habitats of a strange little bird by Greg Hoch

American Woodcock ( Scolopax minor ) have enthralled conservationists (including Aldo Leopold), bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, hunters, and others interested in the natural world for centuries. No doubt, woodcock also have enthralled humans in North America for millennia prior to written descriptions of the woodcock’s courtship displays, habitat preferences, and curious behavior and anatomy. As perhaps the most extensively studied species of shorebird in the world, there is a rich and extensive literature, both scientific and popular, focused on woodcock ecology, behavior, and hunting. To that extensive body of literature, Sky Dance of the Woodcock provides an updated summary of their natural history, habitat relations, and conservation. Sky Dance of the Woodcock takes its title from the courtship display of male woodcock, which consists of an elaborate aerial flight incorporating sound produced both vocally and mechanically via highly modified flight feathers. The aerial displays are accompanied by similarly unusual behavior on the ground, including a distinctive ‘peent’ call. This courtship display happens across much of eastern North America each spring, and Hoch uses this wonder to capture the imagination of the readers of his text. Hoch begins the book with an overview of some of the mystery and fascination surrounding woodcock and builds from that opening to describe woodcock anatomy, natural history, and behavior, before describing their courtship display in greater detail. From there, Hoch describes woodcock-habitat relations, provides a historical overview of woodcock hunting, identifies current threats to woodcock populations, summarizes past and recent woodcock research, and finally, presents an updated overview of woodcock conservation and habitat management. Throughout, there is sometimes surprising information about things as simple as what woodcock eat, to more complex assessment of how woodcock use landscapes and migrate to and from spring and summer breeding areas. This book will undoubtedly appeal to woodcock enthusiasts of a variety to stripes. Woodcock hunters and bird watchers alike will learn something about woodcock-habitat relations, behavior, and conservation. Professional biologists and researchers will benefit from Hoch’s synthesis of a wide range of information about woodcock, and landowners and managers can use some of the concepts in this book to inform their decisions about how to manage lands under their control. Along the way, everyone who reads Sky Dance of the Woodcock is likely to come away with an enhanced appreciation of this captivating bird.

Prairie Naturalist↗

USGS1999

Water-resources investigations in Wisconsin, 1999

The statewide average precipitation of 31.23 inches for the 1998 water year was 0.42 inches less than the normal annual precipitation of 31.65 inches for water years 1961-90. Average precipitation values ranged from 69 percent of normal at both the Willow Reservoir WVI weather station in north central Wisconsin and Crivitz High Falls WPS weather station in northeast Wisconsin to 141 percent of normal at the Dodgeville 1 NE WWTP and Muscoda weather stations in southwest Wisconsin (from tables provided by Lyle Anderson, Program Assistant, UW-Extension, Geological and Natural History Survey, written commun., 1999). Runoff differed for rivers throughout the State and ranged from 54 percent in northwest Wisconsin to 146 percent in southeast Wisconsin. Runoff was lowest (54 percent of the average annual runoff from 1975-98) for the Nemadji River near South Superior and highest (146 percent of the average annual runoff from 1976-79, 1981-98) for the Underwood Creek at Wauwatosa station which monitors a small urban basin (drainage area is 18.2 square miles) in southeastern Wisconsin. Departures of runoff in the 1998 water year as a percent of long-term average runoff in the State (determined using stations with drainage areas greater than 150 square miles and at least 20 years of record) are shown in Figure 4. Annual discharges for the individual water years (1916-98) at the Oconto River near Gillett, Jump River at Sheldon, and Sugar River near Brodhead are shown in Figure 5. The comparison of monthly and annual discharges for the 1998 water year to discharge for a 83-year base period at the same three gaging stations are shown in Figure 6. Low flows occurred at 21 gaging stations where the annual minimum 7-consecutive day average flows (Q7) had recurrence intervals of 5 or more years. Precipitation was well below normal from July through September in northern Wisconsin. Monthly precipitation values were 4.46, 5.69, and 4.24 inches below normal in northwestern, north central, and northeastern Wisconsin, respectively, in the July through September period (from tables provided by Lyle Anderson, Program Assistant, UW-Extension, Geological and Natural History Survey, written commun., 1999). The precipitation for the April to October period was

Wisconsin↗

USGS2004

Geologic history of natural coal-bed fires, Powder River basin, USA

Coal-bed fires ignited by natural processes have baked and fused overlying sediments to form clinker, a hard red or varicolored rock, through much of the northern Great Plains of the United States (USA). The gently dipping coal beds in the region burn when regional downwasting brings them above the local water table. The resulting clinker forms a rim along the exposed edge of the coal bed in an ongoing process through geologic time. The resistant clinker is left capping buttes and ridges after the softer unbaked strata erode away. Clinker outcrops cover more than 4100 km2 in the Powder River basin (PRB), which lies in Wyoming (WY) and Montana (MT). The clinker in place records tens of billions of tons of coal that have burned, releasing gases into the atmosphere. The amount of clinker that has eroded away was at least an order of magnitude greater than the clinker that remains in place. Fission-track and uranium-thorium/ helium ages of detrital zircon crystals in clinker, and paleomagnetic ages of clinker, show that coal beds have burned naturally during at least the past 4 million years (Ma). The oldest in-place clinker that has been dated, collected from a high, isolated, clinker-capped ridge, has a fission track age of 2.8??0.6 Ma. Evidence of erosion and downcutting is also preserved by clinker clasts in gravel terraces. One clinker boulder in a terrace 360 m above the Yellowstone River has a fission track age of 4.0??0.7 Ma. Coal-bed fires are caused by lightning, wildfires, spontaneous combustion, or human activity on coal outcrops and in mines. Miners, government agencies, and ranchers have extinguished thousands of coal bed fires, but natural ignition continues where fresh coal has access to air. At any given time, hundreds of fires, mostly small, are burning. In the Powder River basin, the total amount of coal burned by natural fires in the last 2 Ma is one to two orders of magnitude greater than the total amount of coal removed by mining in the past century. However, current annual rates of coal mining are three to four orders of magnitude greater than estimated prehistoric annual rates of coal consumption by natural fires. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS1974

Water resources of Wisconsin: Lower Wisconsin River basin

This report describes the physical environment, availability, distribution, movement, quality, and use of water in the upper Wisconsin River basin as an aid in planning and water management. The report presents general information on the basin derived from data obtained from Federal, State, and local agencies, New field data were collected in areas where information was lacking. More detailed studies of problem areas may be required in the future, as water needs and related development increase. The upper Wisconsin River basin is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River drainage and includes about 2,730 square miles in northern Wisconsin (upstream from the gage on the Wisconsin River at Merrill). An additional 50 square miles of the basin lies in Michigan and is not covered by this report. The report area includes parts of Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Price, Taylor, and Vilas Counties, Many organizations and persons assisted the study by providing data. Among the contributors were the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Geological and Natural History Survey, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company, Municipal water officials furnished water-supply information and well records, Many individuals allowed access to their wells for water-level measurements and collection of water samples for chemical analysis.

Wisconsin↗

USGS1974

Water resources of Wisconsin--Lake Superior basin

Wisconsin↗

USGS1970

Field trip guidebook to the hydrogeology of the Rock-Fox River basin of Southeastern Wisconsin

On this trip we will examine some hydrogeologic characteristics of glacial features and emphasize ground-water management within the Rock-Fox River basin. Field stops will include the hydrogeology of a classical glacial terrane--the Kettle moraine--and the management of ground-water resources for industrial, municipal, agricultural, and fish-culture purposes. Descriptions of the geology, soils, water availability and characteristics, water quality, water use, and water problems within the basin are given in the accompanying U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Atlas (HA-360). This atlas is a product of the cooperative program of University Extension--the University of Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.

Wisconsin↗

USGS1972

Trends in ground-water levels in Wisconsin, 1967-1971

This report supplements the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Information Circular No.9, "Trends in Ground-Water Levels in Wisconsin through 1966". It describes, by hydrographs, the ground-water level trends in Wisconsin for the period 1967-1971. All current observation wells with more than three years of record are included; records of observation wells discontinued since 1967 and records of wells with less than three years of record are not included. Explanatory and interpretive material is in Circular 9.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2018

Nest mortality of sagebrush songbirds due to a severe hailstorm

Demographic assessments of nesting birds typically focus on failures due to nest predation or brood parasitism. Extreme weather events such as hailstorms, however, can also destroy eggs and injure or kill juvenile and adult birds at the nest. We documented the effects of a severe hailstorm on 3 species of sagebrush-associated songbirds: Sage Thrasher ( Oreoscoptes montanus ), Brewer's Sparrow ( Spizella breweri ), and Vesper Sparrow ( Pooecetes gramineus ), nesting at eight 24 ha study plots in central Wyoming, USA. Across all plots, 17% of 128 nests failed due to the hailstorm; however, all failed nests were located at a subset of study plots ( n = 3) where the hailstorm was most intense, and 45% of all nests failures on those plots were due to hail. Mortality rates varied by species, nest architecture, and nest placement. Nests with more robust architecture and those sited more deeply under the shrub canopy were more likely to survive the hailstorm, suggesting that natural history traits may modulate mortality risk due to hailstorms. While sporadic in nature, hailstorms may represent a significant source of nest failure to songbirds in certain locations, especially with increasing storm frequency and severity forecasted in some regions with ongoing climate change.

Wilson Journal of Ornithology↗