 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) |
|
 |
|
|
||
Field Station Leader: Dr.
Michael L. Avery, USDA/APHIS/WS/NWRC Research Program Primary emphasis is on identifying, evaluating, and developing methods to manage depredation, nuisance, and property damage problems associated with native birds such as vultures and crows, and non-native species such as feral pigs, Burmese pythons, black spiny-tailed iguanas, monk parakeets, and other invasive species. To do this, scientists conduct behavioral and physiological studies with captive wild animals at the Florida field station and carry out field trials in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and elsewhere. Research is conducted with the cooperation and support of Wildlife Services (WS) Operations, community organizations, private companies, and state and federal agencies. Facility The Gainesville facility was built in 1963 and has served as a bird and mammal research field station ever since. In June 1993, the Florida WS State Director’s Office moved from Tallahassee to the Gainesville office. The 26-acre site is located three miles east of the University of Florida. There is a main building holding offices and laboratories, and three roofed outdoor aviaries for maintaining and testing wild birds. In addition, there are eight 10 x 30 foot enclosures and two ½ acre flight pens where various trials can be conducted throughout the year under natural environmental conditions. Current Research Areas Movements and Roost Dispersal. Vultures roost communally at night with up to several hundred birds sharing the same structure or group of trees. Roost composition is not static, however, and birds often shift among several roost sites from one night to the next. Thus, for effective management of vulture populations, it is necessary to identify the locations of all major roosting sites within the area of interest and to document the movement patterns of the birds among roosts as well as their daily activity between the roost and their feeding sites. To report sightings of tagged birds, click here Population Dynamics. As vulture populations increase, so does the frequency of interactions with human activities which has generated the demand for improved methods of managing these burgeoning black vulture populations. Development of effective long-term management strategies requires an understanding of the target population, including age distribution, age at first breeding, etc. Such information is especially important because the species can live more than 20 years, and not every bird in the population has the same capacity to contribute to the growth of the population. Age structure data are crucial to the development of realistic models that can simulate population responses to various management alternatives, such as lethal control and reproductive inhibition. One promising means to obtain age structure data is the recent demonstration that accumulation of the chemical pentosidine (Ps) in bird skin is correlated to age in a variety of wild bird species. For black vultures, this method will potentially shed light on important questions such as age of first reproduction, life span in the wild, and survivorship. For such a long-lived bird there appears to be no other feasible method to obtain such information. Reducing Impacts of Monk Parakeets to Electric Utility Facilities. The monk parakeet is an invasive species native to South America that has become established in Florida and several other states. The bird is unique among parrots in that it builds a nest of sticks instead of nesting in tree cavities. For reasons that are not known, parakeets often select electric utility facilities as sites to build their large, bulky nests. This behavior frequently results in power failures as nest materials and birds come into contact with conductors which creates short-circuits. In cooperation with electric utility companies, field station biologists are investigating methods to reduce nesting activity by monk parakeets on utility poles and electric substations. The research project includes development of diazacon as a safe, effective chemosterilant to reduce population levels. Feral Hog Impacts to Sensitive Plant Communities. Rooting damage by feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in the southeastern United States is widely recognized by ecologists as a significant threat to botanical biodiversity. We are documenting feral pig rooting at 52 ecologically-sensitive plant sites (730 acres) at Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) in south-central Florida. Our study, part of an ongoing integrated approach to managing the pig population at APAFR, evaluates the spatial and temporal changes in feral pig rooting in conjunction with selective removal of feral pigs by professional trappers and recreational hunters. Using systematic site surveys to locate all pig rooting in each study site, we delineate each incidence of rooting using highly accurate GPS receivers. For each rooted area, we estimate the percentage of rooted substrate, categorize the severity, and estimate the relative age of the rooting activity. While preliminary, our findings suggest feral pig rooting maybe dictated by soil moisture differences as reflected by seasonal variation across the landscape in the sensitive plant communities. As we continue to document site-specific rooting behavior, we will be better able to anticipate such changes in pig behavior. This information in turn should contribute to targeted trapping and removal efforts aimed at protection of biodiversity hotspots.
|
Last Modified: March 21, 2013