South Texas Wildlife, Volume 15, Number 3, Fall 2011 Page: 4
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could occur during times of declin-
ing food resources, or no food at all,
because of the time required to build
a nest, lay eggs, incubate the clutch,
and hatch young.
In southwestern rangelands,
quail go through boom and bust
cycles that are tied to rainfall. What
exactly causes reproductive failure
during drought is unknown. It is
possible that the necessary cues
to initiate breeding are not present
during drought. Rainfall could be
this cue. During the dry year of
2005, we found evidence that North-
ern Bobwhites might have used
rainfall to initiate breeding. Most
of the radio-marked bobwhite hens
were not nesting during the drought,
but did so immediately following
rainfall. We found completed nests
within three weeks following the
rainstorm. Considering that the
egg laying period takes anywhere
between 18 to 20 days, we believe
that rainfall was the cue.
To further investigate how
Northern Bobwhites and other native
bird species in South Texas may use40C
'k.'
W
We are studying what triggers breeding
activity in several species of birds that
occur within arid South Texas.
rainfall as a predictive factor for
nesting, we recently began a cap-
tive study focusing on the effect of
rainfall and its associated conditionson reproductive activity. We are
exposing wild females of various
avian species to different environ-
mental conditions and monitoring
their breeding behavior. In addition
to this experimental research, we
also will use data from a long-term
radio telemetry study on bobwhites
to model the effects of rainfall on
nesting variables.
If climate change projections
for drier and more variable weather
conditions hold true for the south-
western United States, then such
changes may pose significant chal-
lenges for semiarid and arid land
breeding birds. Additional knowl-
edge of the interactions between
avian species and their environment
is necessary to better understand the
consequences of climate change on
these species.
Visit our web page at
http://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu- TEXAS A&M
U N V E Rs IT Y
KI NG SVI-LLENon-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Kingsville, TX 78363
Permit #172Caesar Kleberg Wildlife
Research Institute
700 University Boulevard
MSC 218
Kingsville, Texas 78363-8202
Editor: Alan Fedynich, Ph.D.
SOUTH TEXAS WILDLIFE is printed on recycled paper4
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute provides
leadership in all aspects of our work. We are indebted to them for their com-
mitment to CKWRI and its mission.
Gus T. Canales A. C. Jones, IV Barry Coates Roberts
T. Dan Friedkin David Winfield Killam Stuart W. Stedman
Henry R. Hamman Tio Kleberg Buddy Temple
(Chairman) C. Berdon Lawrence Ben F. Vaughan, III
George C. "Tim" Hixon Kenneth E. Leonard Bryan Wagner
Karen Hunke James A. McAllen Charles A. WilliamsWhat Do They Eat?
Red-eared sliders are omnivores, eating aquatic plants, small fish,
and dead matter. (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/slider/)
The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher mainly feeds on insects and spiders.
(http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/023)
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Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. South Texas Wildlife, Volume 15, Number 3, Fall 2011, periodical, Autumn 2011; Kingsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth578881/m1/4/: accessed May 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.