MONTEZUMA QUAIL ECOLOGY IN THE CAPITAN MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO Ryan S. Luna, Karlee D. Cork, Elizabeth A. Oaster, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, Randy L. Howard, Scott P. Lerich, and Louis A. Harveson Introduction – Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) – Cryptic coloration – Unique defense mechanisms – Range – Low densities – TX, NM, AZ, parts of Mexico – Habitat – Pine-oak vegetation zones Introduction – Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) – Cryptic coloration – Unique defense mechanisms – Range – Low densities – TX, NM, AZ, parts of Mexico – Habitat – Pine-oak vegetation zones Introduction Male Female Introduction – Foraging habits – Dig for food – Loafing sites – Thermal cover – Camouflage Introduction – Foraging habits – Dig for food – Loafing sites – Thermal cover – Camouflage Feeding Behavior Objective – To assess habitat use of Montezuma quail pre- and post-thinning of Juniper in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico Study Area – Lincoln County, NM – Capitan Mountains – 1,676–3,073m elevation – Average temperature range -5–29.1°C – 45cm precipitation – Study site – ~500 ha – 151.7 ha thinning – BLM contractor conducting thinning Figure 1. Core study site thinning polygon located within Fort Stanton-Snowy River National Conservation Area Habitat Use Assessment Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Fitted with radio telemetry backpack – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Fitted with radio telemetry backpack – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Fitted with radio telemetry backpack – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Fitted with radio telemetry backpack – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – Capture methods – Calling – Night capture – Measurements – Fitted with radio telemetry backpack (VHF or GPS) – Sexed and aged – Weight, tarsus length, bill length, head bill length, wing length Methods – VHF tracking – Using telemetry – During 1000-1800 hours – GPS – Remote download – Collar recovery – Night capture Pre-Thinning Utilization (≥70% canopy cover) – Telemetry – 292 locations – 40 Montezuma Quail – MCP – 50.65 ha ± 14.42 – Range of 2-103 ha – 50% core use area – 8.65 ha ±4.68 Pre-Thinning Utilization 60% of use in area to be thinned Post-Thinning Utilization – Telemetry – 820 locations – 5 coveys – MCP – 70.67 ha ±36.80 – Range 3.2-94.6 ha - 50% core use area - 5.36 ha ±3.38 Post-Thinning Utilization 85% of use in thinned area Core Use—Post-Thinning Post-Thinning GPS Covey Movements Habitat Use Pre-Thinning Post-Thinning – MCP – MCP – 50.65 ha ± 14.42 – 70.67 ha ±36.80 – Range of 2-103 ha – Range 3.2-94.6 ha – 50% core use area - 50% core use area -5.36 ha ±3.38 – 8.65 ha ±4.68 Increase use of thinned site by 25% Loafing Site Selection – Measurements – Visual Obstruction Index (VOI) – 10 heights of vegetation within Daubenmire frame – Basal cover: woody, grass, forb, litter, bare ground – Species present and percentage – Canopy cover – Species of cover – Height to lowest branch – Distance to cover Top 9 Species Percent observed 1 Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) 20.5% 2 Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) 7.9% 3 Carruth's sagebrush (Artemisia carruthii) 7.1% 4 Hall's panicum (Panicum hallii) 5.2% 5 Vine mesquite (Panicum obtusum) 5.2% 7 Scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) 4.2% 8 Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) 3.4% 9 ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) 3.2% Logistic Regression Acknowledgments Questions? .