Sound Intensity of Booming in Lesser Prairie-Chickens

Matthew J. Butler; Warren B. Ballard; R. Douglas Holt; Heather A. Whitlaw

doi:10.2193/2009-423

We can help you reset your password using the email address linked to your BioOne Complete account.

Registered users receive a variety of benefits including the ability to customize email alerts, create favorite journals list, and save searches. Please note that a BioOne web account does not automatically grant access to full-text content. An institutional or society member subscription is required to view non-Open Access content. Contact helpdesk@bioone.org with any questions.

All Fields are Required

First Name

Last/Family Name

Password

Password Requirements: Minimum 8 characters, must include as least one uppercase, one lowercase letter, and one number or permitted symbol Valid Symbols for password:
~ Tilde
! Exclamation Mark
@ At sign
$ Dollar sign
^ Caret
( Opening Parenthesis
) Closing Parenthesis
_ Underscore
. Period

Confirm Password

Web Account created successfully

Matthew J. Butler,¹ Warren B. Ballard,² R. Douglas Holt,³ Heather A. Whitlaw⁴

¹aDepartment of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 42125, Lubbock, TX 7940
²bDepartment of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 42125, Lubbock, TX 7940
³cDepartment of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 42125, Lubbock, TX 7940
⁴dTexas Parks and Wildlife Department, P.O. Box 42125, Lubbock, TX 79409-2125, USA

Abstract

Wildlife managers traditionally monitored lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations using road-based lek surveys and assumed booming can be heard ≥1.6 km from a lek. To assess this assumption, we measured sound intensity (decibels) of booming lesser prairie-chickens. Our results indicated sound intensity 1.6 km from a lek would be less than or equal to the sound intensity of a whisper. Thus, 1.6 km is probably too great a distance for audible detection of booming in many conditions.

Citation Download Citation

Matthew J. Butler, Warren B. Ballard, R. Douglas Holt, and Heather A. Whitlaw "Sound Intensity of Booming in Lesser Prairie-Chickens," Journal of Wildlife Management 74(5), 1160-1162, (1 July 2010). https://doi.org/10.2193/2009-423

Published: 1 July 2010