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1 November 2012 Survival of Translocated Greater Sage-Grouse Hens in Northeastern California
Chad B. Bell, T. Luke George
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Abstract

Translocation success of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is generally measured by documenting whether translocated individuals survive and reproduce at the release site. However, demographic parameters, such as annual survival of translocated individuals, provide a more accurate measure of translocation success. We translocated 60 female sage-grouse from Oregon and Nevada to Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California, during 2005–2010 to augment a small population of resident grouse. We radio-marked each translocated female and a sample of resident female sage-grouse, recorded their locations, and monitored their survival at monthly intervals over the study period. We observed most (55/60) translocated birds near (< 100 m from) the only lek in the study area within one week of their release. To examine factors influencing survival, we developed a set of a priori models that included the effects of translocation status, season (breeding vs. nonbreeding), year, and age on annual survival and compared the models' AICC values using program MARK. The null model was the best supported model and received 33% of the model weight. Models that included survival during the first year posttranslocation, age, and season, however, were competitive (<2 ΔAICC) with the top model. However, the β coefficient distinguishing breeding from nonbreeding season survival was the only coefficient whose 95% confidence interval did not overlap zero; monthly survival during the breeding season (0.952 ± 0.014) was lower than during the nonbreeding season (0.960 ± 0.008). The model average estimate of annual survival for female sage-grouse in our study area was 59.6% (95% CI 47.9–70.1). Our analyses provide little support for a difference in survival between translocated and resident sage-grouse, and our annual survival estimates were comparable to annual survival estimates of resident sage-grouse in other locations. Our results suggest that when current recommendations for translocation protocols are followed, translocated female sage-grouse survive just as well as resident individuals and quickly integrate into the local population.

©2012
Chad B. Bell and T. Luke George "Survival of Translocated Greater Sage-Grouse Hens in Northeastern California," Western North American Naturalist 72(3), 369-376, (1 November 2012). https://doi.org/10.3398/064.072.0311
Received: 23 May 2011; Accepted: 16 March 2012; Published: 1 November 2012
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