Gary L Krapu

Morphological measurements and subspecies of midcontinent sandhill cranes

The midcontinent population of sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) has historically been classified into three putative subspecies, but genetic analyses have identified only two genetically distinct subspecies. Previous studies have successfully used morphometrics in combination with an individual’s sex to differentiate subspecies of sandhill cranes that had been inferred based on breeding area, but no study has used a sample of genetically determined subspecies to discriminate and develop predictive models. These data were used to support an effort to develop a field-ready tool using common morphometric measurements without determination of an individual’s sex and linear discriminant analysis to classify genetically...

Categories: Data; Tags: Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, Saskatchewan, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), All tags... Wildlife Biology, biota, birds, environment, game species, migratory birds, Fewer tags

Sandhill cranes are a long-lived bird found in many wetland-rich landscapes across North America. The midcontinent population of sandhill cranes is the largest population in North America, comprising approximately 650,000 individuals. They breed from western Quebec in the east, across the Canadian Arctic and Alaska to northeastern Russia in the west in a variety of ecoregions from Arctic tundra to temperate grasslands. This population winters from southern Oklahoma to northern Mexico, using playa and coastal wetlands. Long-term changes in the Platte River ecosystem pose a potential threat to this population as does declining high-energy food, prompting long-term investigations to better understand current problems...

Categories: Project

Sandhill crane phenology at the Platte River, Nebraska, 2001-2007

The central Platte River Valley represents a key mid-latitude stopover. This dataset supports a contemporary analysis of spring migration phenology at the Platte River during 2001-2007. We recorded timing of sandhill crane arrivals and departures from the Platte River.

Categories: Data; Tags: Ecology, Nebraska, Platte River, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, All tags... animal tracking, biota, birds, environment, migratory birds, Fewer tags

Spring migration is a key portion of the annual cycle for waterfowl due to its proximity to the breeding period and for the potential for resource limitation during this time. Research during spring has lagged behind other periods of the annual cycle, despite the potential for events during spring to influence successful reproduction. Arctic-nesting geese rely heavily on nutrient reserves (lipid and protein) accumulated during spring migration for egg laying and/or incubation. Nesting pintails rely on endogenous lipids to greater degree than other ducks, and lipid dynamics prior to arriving at breeding areas may influence initiation of nesting, clutch size, and other aspects of recruitment in pintails. The Rainwater...

Categories: Project

Fecundity data for midcontinent sandhill cranes, 2003-2006

Midcontinent sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are the most abundant management population of cranes in the world and have a broad breeding range. Four breeding segments of midcontinent sandhill cranes have been designated based on spatial and temporal distributions throughout the year, including Western Alaska–Siberia (WA–S), Northern Canada–Nunavut (NC–N), West-central Canada–Interior Alaska (WC–A) and East-central Canada–Minnesota (EC–M). WA–S and NC–N cranes primarily are composed of the lesser sandhill crane (A. c. canadensis) subspecies that breeds in the arctic, whereas WC–A and EC–M cranes are composed primarily of greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida), birds which breeds in northern parts of temperate...

Categories: Data; Tags: Ecology, Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), All tags... biota, birds, environment, game species, migratory birds, Fewer tags