The ability to assess habitat quality for wildlife is important for evaluating the effectiveness of, or need for, habitat management. Habitat assessment methods generally involve a tradeoff between usability and explanatory power and finding the optimal balance can be challenging. In 2013, Colorado Parks and Wildlife developed a habitat quality rapid assessment method for dabbling ducks (Anatidae) that is used to evaluate wetland management projects. The assessment involves six multiple-choice questions related to vegetation and wetland structure and is designed to be used by people with little wetland ecology training. I tested the ability of the assessment to predict duck density and food availability at 44 sites in northeastern Colorado. I found that the procedure explained 10–22% of the variability in food availability and was not a good predictor of duck density. By altering the way the answers were grouped, weight of each question, score associated with each answer, and substituting a new question relating to percent coverage of duck food producing plants, the ability of the assessment to explain food availability increased to 30%. Overall, the assessment may be sufficient for relative indication of habitat quality, but if precise predictions are desired, further refinement is necessary.
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Research Article|
August 31 2020
Rapid Assessment of Habitat Quality for Nonbreeding Ducks in Northeast Colorado
Adam C Behney
Adam C Behney
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
317 W Prospect Rd
UNITED STATES
Fort Collins
CO
80526
19704724404
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Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (2020)
Article history
Received:
March 01 2020
Revision Received:
July 15 2020
Accepted:
August 21 2020
Citation
Adam C Behney; Rapid Assessment of Habitat Quality for Nonbreeding Ducks in Northeast Colorado. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 2020; doi: https://doi.org/10.3996/JFWM-20-013
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