Digital Commons Network^™

Band Encounters Of Wintering European Starlings Captured In Kansas, Nebraska, And Texas, H. Jeffrey Homan, James R. Thiele, Garrett W. Unrein, Shannon M. Gaukler, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are agricultural and societal pests in the U.S., thus, understanding their migratory behavior is of practical importance to resource managers. We leg-banded starlings and used publicly reported encounters with them to estimate migration distances traveled by wintering populations to reach their reproductive territories. We captured and banded 9,939 starlings at 6 sites between November and February 2005–2010 in 3 states. We banded birds in industrial areas surrounding Omaha, Nebraska, and at cattle feedlots in central Kansas (n = 2) and the Texas Panhandle (n = 3). Banding sites were associated with wintering …

Freshwater Clams As Bioconcentrators Of Avian Influenza Virus In Water, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jenny S. Carlson, Kevin T. Bentler, Kacy R. Cobble, Dale L. Nolte, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report experimental evidence for bioconcentration of a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (H6N8) in the tissue of freshwater clams. Our results support the concept that freshwater clams may provide an effective tool for use in the early detection of influenza A viruses in aquatic environments.

Development Of A Feral Swine Toxic Bait (Hog-Gone®) And Bait Hopper (Hog-Hopper™) In Australia And The Usa, Steven Lapidge, Jason Wishart, Linton Staples, Kathy Fagerstone, Tyler A. Campbell, John D. Eisemann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

At the 13th Wildlife Damage Management Conference, the primary author delivered a paper titled “Is America ready for a humane feral pig ‘toxin’?” The toxin, sodium nitrite, a common meat preservative that prevents botulism, had previously been shown to be a quick-acting and low-residue toxicant for feral pigs in Australia and has since been patented. Pigs are particularly sensitive to nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia because they have low levels of methemoglobin reductase, the enzyme required to reverse the effects of nitrite toxicosis. Over the last two years, a great deal of progress has been made towards developing a nitrite bait and a …

Sunflower Growers Use Nonlethal Methods To Manage Blackbird Damage, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbird damage to sunflower in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota is an unyielding challenge to the industry. Large populations of blackbirds and environmental concerns have driven the direction of research toward nonlethal methods that can be implemented locally. Currently, Wildlife Services field specialists lend propane cannons to growers and spray wetlands with glyphosate to fragment dense cattail stands used by roosting blackbirds. After researchers demonstrated decoy crops (wildlife conservation sunflower plots), some growers have adapted the basic principles and have started diverting blackbirds from sunflower, a high value crop, to alternative lesser-value crops, such …

Phytochemical Variation Within A Single Plant Species Influences Foraging Behavior Of Deer, Bruce Kimball, John H. Russell, Peter K. Ott

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To determine how black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus respond to phytochemical cues while browsing in heterogeneous phytochemical environments, we offered captive and free-range deer cloned rooted cuttings and seedlings of western red cedar Thuja plicata selected for varying monoterpene content. Black-tailed deer were thus allowed to browse among a controlled array of phytochemical cues in a series of experiments designed to evaluate foraging behavior at fine (within plot) and coarse (plot selection) scales. Within-plot diet selection experiments demonstrated that browse preference for individual western red cedar plants was a function of foliar monoterpene concentration. Individual plant palatability combined with momentary …

Integrity And Retention Of Ear-Tag Radiotransmitters In Domestic Cattle And Feral Horses, Bryan M. Kluever, Laura Lagos, Stewart W. Breck, Larry D. Howery, Manuel L. Sanmartín, David L. Bergman, Felipe Bárcena

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Radiotelemetry is an important tool for wildlife management and research, but in some cases attachment of neck collars can be problematic. An alternative in large mammals is to attach transmitters to the ear, though little is published about ear-tag radiotransmitter integrity (i.e., how long a transmitter emits a useful signal) and retention (i.e., how long a transmitter remains attached to an animal). Here we report eartag transmitter integrity and retention from 2 studies monitoring free-ranging calves (Bos taurus) in eastern Arizona, USA, and feral horse (Equus ferus) foals in northwestern Spain. Transmitter integrity and retention was …

North American Birds As Potential Amplifying Hosts Of Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Nicole M. Nemeth, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Paul T. Oesterle, Dennis Kohler, Richard Bowen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an emerging arbovirus, and inter-continental spread is an impending threat. The virus is maintained in a transmission cycle between mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts, including birds. We detected variation in interspecies responses among North American birds to infection with strains of two different JEV genotypes (I and III). Several native North American passerine species and ring-billed gulls had the highest average peak viremia titers after inoculation with a Vietnamese (genotype I) JEV strain. Oral JEV shedding was minimal and cloacal shedding was rarely detected. The majority of birds, both viremic (72 of 74; 97.3%) and …

The Use Of Diazacon™ To Limit Fertility By Reducing Serum Cholesterol In Female Grey Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, Brenda A. Mayle, Mark Ferryman, Andrew Peace, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, David Cowan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: The grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, is an invasive alien species introduced into Great Britain in the late nineteenth century and into Northern Italy during the early twentieth century. Grey squirrels have displaced the native European red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris L., throughout much of Great Britain and have a significant impact on trees and woodlands through bark-stripping activity. In Britain, eradication is no longer an option at a regional scale, but fertility control offers a non-lethal approach to reducing negative impacts. The cholesterol mimic DiazaCon™ has been successfully used to inhibit reproduction in some species. These studies aimed to …

Oblique Color Vision In An Open-Habitat Bird: Spectral Sensitivity, Photoreceptor Distribution And Behavioral Implications, Bret A. Moore, Patrice Baumhardt, Megan Doppler, Jacquelyn Randolet, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Ellis R. Loew, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Color vision is not uniform across the retina because of differences in photoreceptor density and distribution. Retinal areas with a high density of cone photoreceptors may overlap with those with a high density of ganglion cells, increasing hue discrimination. However, there are some exceptions to this cell distribution pattern, particularly in species with horizontal visual streaks (bands of high ganglion cell density across the retina) that live in open habitats. We studied the spectral sensitivity and distribution of cone photoreceptors involved in chromatic and achromatic vision in the Canada goose (Branta canadiensis), which possesses an oblique rather than …

Detection Of Prion Protein In The Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) With Chronic Wasting Disease Using Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification, Tracy A. Nichols, Terry R. Spraker, Tom Gidlewski, Jenny G. Powers, Glenn C. Telling, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Mark D. Zabel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been examined as a possible source for preclinical diagnosis of prion diseases in hamsters and sheep. The present report describes the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the CSF of elk and evaluates its usefulness as an antemortem test for CWD. The CSF from 6 captive and 31 free-ranging adult elk was collected at necropsy and evaluated for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein that has been associated with CWD (PrP^CWD) via protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Additionally, the obex from each animal was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Four out …

A Novel Bipolar Electric Fence For Excluding White-Tailed Deer From Stored Livestock Feed, G. E. Phillips, M. J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. White, Scott J. Wells, K. C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Where cattle (Bos taurus) and free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) coexist, they frequently share space and resources, potentially resulting in damage to stores of livestock feed and risk of interspecies disease transmission. Preventing use of stored feed by deer can be an important objective in farm management, depending on amount of damage experienced and perceived risk of disease transmission. Woven wire fences (2.4 to 3.0 m high) are generally considered to be the most effective means for excluding deer. However, rapidly deployable temporary means of excluding deer could be useful, especially during late winter when deer …

Didactic Lessons Derived From The Shoshone River Skunk Rabies Epizootic, Craig A. Ramey, Kenneth H. Mills, Justin W. Fischer, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Studying the lower Shoshone River Basin’s (SRB) striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) rabies 6-year epizootic in northwestern Wyoming has produced four didactic lessons. First, physiographic changes by settlers circa 1900 affected its zoogeography by creating a canal system for irrigating crops originating at Buffalo Bill Reservoir (BBR). The resulting landscape changes increased agricultural lands and skunk habitat eightfold between the valley’s steep gravel benches. The valley was historically free of skunk rabies until the epizootic’s index case in August 1988. Second, human intervention began when the Bighorn County Predator Board (BCPB) proactively implemented rabies trapping surveillance and depopulation programs …

Assessment Of Toxicity And Potential Risk Of The Anticoagulant Rodenticide Diphacinone Using Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops Asio), Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Karen M. Eisenreich, Carol U. Meteyer, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton, John D. Eisemann, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, new regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. This action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds (e.g., diphacinone; DPN). Single-day acute oral exposure of adult Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio) to DPN evoked overt signs of intoxication, coagulopathy, histopathological lesions (e.g., hemorrhage, hepatocellular vacuolation), and/ or lethality at doses as low as 130 mg/kg body weight, although there was no dose–response relation. However, this single-day exposure protocol does not mimic the multiple-day field exposures required to cause mortality in rodent pest species and non-target birds and …

Genetic Evaluation Of An Attempted Rattus Rattus Eradication On Congo Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands, Identifies Importance Of Eradication Units, Julie A. Savidge, Matthew W. Hopken, Gary W. Witmer, Susan M. Jojola, Judy J. Pierce, Patrick W. Burke, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Congo Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands, has high value for breeding seabirds and is a potential reintroduction site for the endangered Virgin Islands tree boa (Epicrates monensis granti). However, introduced ship rats (Rattus rattus) undermine its conservation value. Three unsuccessful eradication attempts have been conducted since 1990, with the latest in 2006; rats were trapped 1.5 years later. We examined microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA sequences of ship rats from Congo Cay and three other nearby cays to determine if rats found after the most recent eradication effort were surviving individuals or reinvaders from neighboring cays; we …

Territory Fidelity, Space Use, And Survival Rates Of Wild Coyotes Following Surgical Sterilization, Renee G. Seidler, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sterilization of wild canids is being used experimentally in many management applications. Few studies have clearly demonstrated vasectomized and tuballigated canids will retain pair-bonding and territorial behaviors. We tested whether territory fidelity, space use, and survival rates of surgically sterilized coyote (Canis latrans) packs were different from sham-operated coyote packs. We captured and radio-collared 30 coyotes in December 2006. Sixteen of these animals were sterilized via vasectomy or tubal ligation, and 14 were given shamsurgeries (i.e., remained intact). We monitored these animals using telemetry and visual observations through 2 breeding seasons and 1 pup-rearing season from December 2006 …

Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild House Mice, Susan A. Shriner, Kaci K. Vandalen, Nicole L. Mooers, Jeremy W. Ellis, Heather J. Sullivan, J. Jeffrey Root, Angela M. Pelzel, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Avian influenza viruses are known to productively infect a number of mammal species, several of which are commonly found on or near poultry and gamebird farms. While control of rodent species is often used to limit avian influenza virus transmission within and among outbreak sites, few studies have investigated the potential role of these species in outbreak dynamics.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We trapped and sampled synanthropic mammals on a gamebird farm in Idaho, USA that had recently experienced a low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Six of six house mice (Mus musculus) caught on the outbreak farm …

Synergistic Stressors And The Dilemma Of Conservation In A Multivariate World: A Case Study In Allegheny Woodrats, T. J. Smyser, S. A. Johnson, L. Kristen Page, Olin Eugene Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contemporary patterns of species decline frequently stem from multiple, synergistic pressures, which much like the genetic concept of lethal equivalents, must be interpreted in sum rather than as independent deleterious entities. For example, the recent, range-wide decline of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is likely a result of numerous, minor, human-mediated stressors including habitat fragmentation and disruption of metapopulation dynamics, reduced hard mast availability associated with the functional extirpation of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and recent shifts in forest composition, and expansion of a human adapted species, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the parasites …

Developing An Effective Management Plan For Starlings Roosting In Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, James R. Thiele, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Garrett W. Unrein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) began roosting in downtown Omaha, Nebraska during the fall of 2004 causing significant financial loss and threats to human health and safety. Property owners exhausted a variety of nonlethal methods to deter roosting starlings before contacting U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services in January 2005. We developed an integrated wildlife damage management plan that incorporated local population reduction through the use of the avicide DRC-1339^®, trapping, hazing, and habitat modification. Strong working relationships developed as we provided technical assistance to the city of Omaha, building managers, …

Swift Foxes And Ideal Free Distribution: Relative Influence Of Vegetation And Rodent Prey Base On Swift Fox Survival, Density, And Home Range Size, Craig M. Thompson, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swift foxes (Vulpes velox) are an endemic mesocarnivore of North America subject to resource and predation-based pressures. While swift fox demographics have been documented, there is little information on the importance of top-down versus bottom-up pressures or the effect of landscape heterogeneity. Using a consumable resource-based ideal free distribution model as a conceptual framework, we isolated the effects of resource-based habitat selection on fox population ecology. We hypothesized if swift fox ecology is predominantly resource dependent, distribution, survival, and space use would match predictions made under ideal free distribution theory. We monitored survival and home range use of …

U.S. Department Of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Providing Federal Leadership In Managing Conflicts With Wildlife, Mark E. Tobin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Wildlife Services Program (WS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, provides federal leadership in managing conflicts between wildlife and humans. The core vision of WS is to improve the coexistence of wildlife and people. The Animal Damage Control Act of 1931 and subsequent amendments provide broad authority for WS to conduct activities involving the control of nuisance mammals and birds and those mammal and bird species that are reservoirs for zoonotic diseases. Resources protected include agriculture and natural resources, human health and safety, property, and threatened and endangered species. WS strives to develop …

Rabies In North America: A Model Of The One Health Approach, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Christine Ellis, Richard Chipman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Dennis Slate

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The One Health concept merges environmental, wildlife, domestic animal, and human health into a global, interconnected context. Though recently a popular catchphrase due to the emergence and reemergence of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Q Fever, Rift Valley fever, Nipah virus, West Nile virus (WNV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, and plague, the One Health concept is not new. The One Health approach to managing infectious diseases aims to promote and implement meaningful collaboration and communication between multiple allied disciplines working locally, nationally, and internationally to attain optimal health …

On-Farmmitigation Of Transmission Of Tuberculosis Fromwhite-Tailed Deer To Cattle: Literature Review And Recommendations, W. David Walter, Charles W. Anderson, Rick Smith, Mike Vanderklok, James J. Averill, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has been challenged with assisting farmers with modifying farm practices to reduce potential for exposure to Mycobacterium bovis from wildlife to cattle. The MDARD recommendations for on-farm risk mitigation practices were developed from experiences in the US, UK and Ireland and a review of the scientific literature. The objectives of our study were to review the present state of knowledge on M. bovis excretion, transmission, and survival in the environment and the interactions of wildlife and cattle with the intention of determining if the current recommendations …

Avian Use Of Solid Waste Transfer Stations, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Transfer stations are an important component of modern solid waste management systems. Solid waste management facilities (e.g., landfills) are very attractive to and used by many birds, resulting in a variety of health and safety problems, including disease transmission to humans and increased risk of wildlife–aircraft collisions. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration recommends municipal solid waste management facilities (e.g., landfills, transfer stations) not be sited within 8 km of an airport. Little information is available regarding the attractiveness of transfer stations to birds or the factors that might influence avian use, particularly on a national scale. The …

Invasive Rodents In The United States: Ecology, Impacts, And Management, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many invasive rodents have become established in the United States and its territories. The species include several species of Rattus, house mice (Mus musculus), Gambian giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus), ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii), nutria (Myocastor coypus) and marmots (Marmota caligata). While most were introduced accidently, some were introduced for food or fur. Additionally, some native species of rodents have been placed on islands, at least on a temporary basis, to study rodent species interactions. These rodents have caused serious impacts to native flora and fauna, agriculture, and other …

Eradication Of Invasive Rodents On Islands Of The United States, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many invasive rodents have become established in the United States and its territories. The list of invasive species includes several species of rats (Rattus spp.), house mice (Mus musculus), nutria (Myocastor coypus), Gambian giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus), arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus undulates), hoary marmots (Marmota caligata), voles (Microtus spp.), and deer mice (Peromyscus spp.). Some were introduced inadvertently (e.g., stowaways on ships or in cargo) while others were introduced purposefully (e.g., for the fur industry). Other less common reasons include rodents being put on islands as …

Vertebrate Species Introductions In The United States And Its Territories, Gary W. Witmer, Pam Fuller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Thousands of species of plants and animals have been introduced to various parts of the world (Pimental 2011). Greatly increased levels of travel and international trade have been, in large part, responsible, but many pathways of introduction are involved and these vary by taxonomic group. Much concern, action, and funding has been directed towards invasive pathogens, insects, and plants because of the threat to agriculture and livestock production. However, a very large number of vertebrates have also been introduced with some causing substantial damage and losses to human and natural resources.

Estimates Of Energy And Prey Requirements Of Wolverines, Julie K. Young, Brian Hudgens, David K. Garcelon

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wolverine (Gulo gulo) populations have decreased throughout much of their North American range and there is interest in establishing recovery programs in the Sierra Nevada of California and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Determining the sufficiency of prey resources is an important consideration for initiating wolverine recovery, yet there are limited data on resource availability and needs. Our goal is to estimate prey requirements based on wolverine caloric needs and the caloric content of prey likely to be available. We achieve this goal by modifying existing models to account for wolverine biology. Models show a male wolverine requires …

Cow Dogs: Use Of Livestock Protection Dogs For Reducing Predation And Transmission Of Pathogens From Wildlife To Cattle, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Thomas M. Gehring, Jean-Marc Landry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Dogs have been employed to protect an array of resources from various species of offending wildlife. Historically, livestock protection dogs (LPDs) protected domestic sheep and goats from predators based on development of a strong bond between protected and protector. Within reason, developing that bond between a LPD and other species of livestock should be achievable. We conducted several studies in which we raised and bonded LPDs with bovine calves and evaluated them for protecting cattle in a variety of settings. Though successful strategies in developing LPDs to protect cattle were similar to those established for sheep, we found differences that …

Using Three-Dimensional Flight Patterns At Airfields To Identify Hotspots For Avian-Aircraft Collisions, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, John S. Humphrey, Trey S. Daughtery, Michael P. Milleson, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) pose significant birdstrike risks to aircraft. Understanding flight behaviors of vultures in and around military and civilian airfields is necessary to alleviate these risks. Using satellite telemetry data collected from 11 black vultures and 7 turkey vultures equipped with Global Positioning System backpack harness technology, we collected data on location and altitude near the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, South Carolina from September 2006 to September 2008. We used military aircraft flight landing patterns to visualize a new concept, a flight …

The Relationship Between Variable Host Grouping And Functional Responses Among Parasitoids Of Antispila Nysaefoliella (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae), Candace Low, Sonja J. Scheffer, Matthew L. Lewis, Michael W. Gates

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Our study investigated the importance of variability in the parasitoid community as a source of selection on host group size using a field population of the tupelo leafminer, Antispila nysaefoliella Clemens, which specializes on tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. Larvae were collected from leaves with variable numbers of larvae and screened for parasitism using polymerase chain reaction of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I using markers designed specifically for amplifying parasitoid DNA while excluding host DNA. This method of selective PCR was effective for detecting the presence and identifying species of immature stages of three hymenopteran superfamilies: Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea and Platygastroidea, which represented …