Booming territory size and mating success of the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus)
1966; Elsevier BV; Volume: 14; Issue: 2-3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0003-3472(66)80092-1
ISSN1095-8282
Autores Tópico(s)Agricultural pest management studies
ResumoGreater prairie chickens are social birds in which males gather and perform a group display on a mating area during the spring. On these mating areas (booming grounds) male birds establish territories. This study was initiated to determine the relationship between booming territory size and mating success of individual birds. Observations were made during fifty-three mornings at one booming ground in northeastern Kansas during 1964 and 1965. Exact locations for eight tagged males were determined at 15 min intervals during the period of study. From these location data, territories were determined for each marked male with concentric rings drawn to delineate areas of more intensive bird activity. Sixty-nine copulations were tabulated as a measure of mating success. Two males, both of which controlled large booming ground territories, accounted for 72·5 per cent of the matings observed during this study period. The size of the inner portion of the territory and the total territory size appear to be directly related to mating success in booming populations of greater prairie chickens.
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