Initial Effects of Prescribed Burning on Survival and Nesting Success of Northern Bobwhites in West-Central Texas

Fire is often prescribed for managing habitat for northern bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus) in the southeastern United States, yet little is known about its use as a tool in more xeric portions of the species’ range. This study was conducted from 1994 to 1995 on 3 sites in the northern Edwards Plateau ecoregion of Texas to monitor immediate post-burn effects on bobwhite ecology. Each site included a burned pasture paired with an unburned control. We radiomarked 50 bobwhites (25/pasture) at each study site with neck-loop transmitters just prior to burning and monitored their survival and nesting habits for 6 months post-burn. Survival was similar ( P 0.05) between burned and unburned areas. Predation was the leading cause of mortality, with mammals and raptors accounting for 68% and 31% of the predation, respectively. Nest initiation and success were low for both treatments. Nest sites occurred mostly in association with prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia spp.). Our results suggest that relatively ‘‘cool’’ prescribed burns had few short-term effects on bobwhite survival in west-central Texas. However, reductions in cacti density and cover that often occur post-burn, especially if followed by an application of herbicide (i.e., picloram), may reduce the number of potential nesting sites for bobwhites. Citation: Carter, P. S., D. Rollins, and C. B. Scott. 2002. Initial effects of prescribed burning on survival and nesting success of northern bobwhite in west-central Texas. Pages 129–134 in S. J. DeMaso, W. F. Kuvlesky, Jr., F. Hernández, and M. E. Berger. eds. Quail V: Proceedings of the Fifth National Quail Symposium. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Quail

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Biology, Geography, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.7290/nqsp05nwxv
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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