Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado

Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) are a popular game species but also considered a species of conservation concern due to range-wide population declines. Colorado lies at the far northwest corner of the bobwhite range, where individuals generally face more extreme winter conditions than are...

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Main Authors: Joseph M Wolske, Adam C Behney, Larkin A Powell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Resilience Alliance 2025-06-01
Series:Avian Conservation and Ecology
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Online Access:https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art10
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author Joseph M Wolske
Adam C Behney
Larkin A Powell
author_facet Joseph M Wolske
Adam C Behney
Larkin A Powell
author_sort Joseph M Wolske
collection DOAJ
description Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) are a popular game species but also considered a species of conservation concern due to range-wide population declines. Colorado lies at the far northwest corner of the bobwhite range, where individuals generally face more extreme winter conditions than areas further south and east, where most bobwhite research has taken place. These edge-of-range climatic extremes may lead to differences in the utility and selection of various vegetation types and structures than those reported in studies from other regions in the bobwhite range. We used radio-marked bobwhites to assess habitat selection and movements during two nonbreeding seasons in a riparian corridor in northeastern Colorado. Bobwhites selected for greater visual obstruction (β vis = 0.026, SE = 0.005, P < 0.001), percent litter cover (β litter = 0.017, SE = 0.006, P = 0.004), and percent bare ground (β bare = 0.013, SE = 0.007, P = 0.045). Mean daily movement distance was 247.3 m (SE = 10.4), and mean nonbreeding home range size was 50.3 ha (SE = 4.8). Surprisingly, we did not find selection for woody vegetation, which is commonly reported in other studies. Otherwise, our results were consistent with research from other regions, and confirm the importance of maintaining areas with high visual obstruction interspersed with bare patches.
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spelling doaj-art-6c9604c6f76b4c2cb887332d52845cdf2025-08-20T02:38:15ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682025-06-012011010.5751/ACE-02815-2001102815Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in ColoradoJoseph M Wolske0Adam C Behney1Larkin A Powell2School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USAAvian Research Section, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Fort Collins, Colorado, USASchool of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USANorthern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) are a popular game species but also considered a species of conservation concern due to range-wide population declines. Colorado lies at the far northwest corner of the bobwhite range, where individuals generally face more extreme winter conditions than areas further south and east, where most bobwhite research has taken place. These edge-of-range climatic extremes may lead to differences in the utility and selection of various vegetation types and structures than those reported in studies from other regions in the bobwhite range. We used radio-marked bobwhites to assess habitat selection and movements during two nonbreeding seasons in a riparian corridor in northeastern Colorado. Bobwhites selected for greater visual obstruction (β vis = 0.026, SE = 0.005, P < 0.001), percent litter cover (β litter = 0.017, SE = 0.006, P = 0.004), and percent bare ground (β bare = 0.013, SE = 0.007, P = 0.045). Mean daily movement distance was 247.3 m (SE = 10.4), and mean nonbreeding home range size was 50.3 ha (SE = 4.8). Surprisingly, we did not find selection for woody vegetation, which is commonly reported in other studies. Otherwise, our results were consistent with research from other regions, and confirm the importance of maintaining areas with high visual obstruction interspersed with bare patches.https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art10 colinus virginianus habitat selectionnonbreedingnorthern bobwhitequail
spellingShingle Joseph M Wolske
Adam C Behney
Larkin A Powell
Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
Avian Conservation and Ecology
colinus virginianus
habitat selection
nonbreeding
northern bobwhite
quail
title Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
title_full Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
title_fullStr Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
title_full_unstemmed Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
title_short Northern Bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in Colorado
title_sort northern bobwhite habitat selection during the nonbreeding season in a riparian corridor in colorado
topic colinus virginianus
habitat selection
nonbreeding
northern bobwhite
quail
url https://www.ace-eco.org/vol20/iss1/art10
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AT adamcbehney northernbobwhitehabitatselectionduringthenonbreedingseasoninaripariancorridorincolorado
AT larkinapowell northernbobwhitehabitatselectionduringthenonbreedingseasoninaripariancorridorincolorado