Species-of-the-MinuteGray wolf (Canis lupus)
Wolf or Coyote?
• 50 to 100+ lbs• 5-6 ft. long• 3 ft at shoulder
• 20 to 45+ lbs• 2.5-4 ft. long• 1.5 ft at shoulder
Coyotes
Wolves in Michigan
• Historically, wolves found throughout state
• 1838 Michigan bounty passed– 1849 MN bounty
– 1865 WI bounty
• 1910 wolves gone from LP
• 1960 bounty repealed
• 1965 wolves protected in MI
Wolves in Michigan
• By 1970’s few lone wolves probably left in UP
• 1974 wolf listed as federally endangered species
• 1989 tracks of a pair of wolves found
• 1991 1st documented pups in 35 years
WI = 450+MI = 400+
Wolf Reclassification• April 1, 2003 federally
threatened • MI and WI follow with
state reclassification.
• Remains unlawful to pursue, harass, or otherwise harm gray wolves in Michigan, the exception being in self-defense or defense of another person.
Wolf Reclassification
• March 2007 – Wolves delisted in Great Lakes Region
• How should wolves be managed?
Species-of-the-Minute
American woodcock (Scolopax minor)
Habitat
• Woods & thickets with moist soil, small openings near woody cover
• aspen, alder, willow cover types (early successional = seedling/sapling stage; <3 in dbh)
Food
• Diet = 50-90% earthworms
• Diurnal foraging in spring/summer
• Nocturnal foraging in winter
• Long bill used as probe (foot stomping)
Reproduction
Courtship behavior = males on breeding fields Mar-Apr -- polygynous
Clutch size = ~4 eggs
I.P. = 21 days; near full grown in 28 days
Behavior
- Migratory – winters in SE U.S.
- Nonvocal calls = wing position
Species-of-the-Minute
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Brink of Extinction
By early 1900’s, culminative effects of:
1) wetland drainage (ag. expansion)
2) deforestation
3) overhunting
Habitat
• Wooded swamps & river bottomlands
• Natural tree cavities for nesting (cypress, sycamore, silver maple, black ash)
• Home range changes with flooding events
Food
* In water <18”, feed on:
- seeds of trees (e.g., acorns)
- also field grains
* Young = aquatic insects
Reproduction
Pairing in late Oct into spring (Mar-July nest)
Clutch size = 6-10 eggs
Behavior
- Dump nests (up to 30+ eggs in 1 nest) = “egg dumping” behavior = intraspecific brood parasitism
- may decrease hatch rates to 10%
Species-of-the-Minute
mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)
Habitat
Woodlots & open fields
Adaptable – e.g., residential, ag., urban
Food
Weed seeds (foxtail, ragweed), waste grains, water source
Reproduction
April-Sept
Clutch size = 2 eggs
2 to 5 clutches / year
Annual Mortality Rate
~60%
Population Status (fall)
N.A. pop >400 million
MI pop = 4-5 million
Federal Hunting Regs
Season after 1 Sept
States (39) choose:
70-day season (12)
90-day season (15)
Species-of-the-Minute
Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)
Habitat
• Wide range of habitats, except deserts & dense forest
• Dens = logs (CWD = coarse woody debris), rock piles, old buildings
• Small mammal habitats
Food
• Diet = 75% small mammal
Food
• Diet = 75% small mammal
• Niche partitioning = sexes differ in diet & subtle differences in habitat use
Reproduction
Late spring-summer = breeding season
Delayed implantation (cell division starts in March)
Gestation Period = 280 days! (litter size = 6)
Behavior
- nomadic behavior of males during breeding season
- Solitary or gregarious?
Female
Male
METHODSRadio-Telemetry Study
Trapping:
• 200 km2 study area, includes 1-km buffer
• Edgar live trap baited with domestic mice
• Traps spaced at 200-400 m intervals in corridor, grassland, and forest habitats
RESULTSRadio-Telemetry Study
• Mean 95% error ellipse = 0.09 ha (SE = 0.02 ha)
• 17 long-tailed weasels captured (9M,8F)
• 11 weasels (7M,4F) > 30 independent locations
RESULTSRadio-Telemetry Study
• Long-tailed weasels exhibited differential patterns of habitat selection in this agricultural landscape, and these patterns were dependent on spatial scale.
• Weasels selected forest patches, fencerows and drainage ditches, whereas agricultural fields were avoided.
CONCLUSIONS
• Long-tailed weasels appear to be sensitive to agriculturally induced fragmentation of habitat. Importance of landscape configuration
• Response of predators to spatial elements may influence predation pressure on small mammals and ground-nesting birds.
Species-of-the-Minute
Kirtland’s warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)
Habitat
NE Michigan jack pine forests
- Nesting habitat = 2-6 m (~5-20 ft) tall young jack pines (<15 yrs) = very dense stands
- Large forest stands = 100+ ha (200+ A)
2001 = 1,085 singing males = highest count since 1951
Food
Insectivores & herbivores
Reproduction
~May, late May = 5 eggs
i.p. = 13-16 days
Behavior
- Migrate to Bahamas
- Return to MI early to
mid May (males 1st)
- Influence of brown-headed cowbirds (nest parasitism)
Species-of-the-Minute
grizzly bear (Ursus arctos)
Habitat
Mississippi R to Pacific (plains, forests, mountains, wetlands, beaches)…
Today, (US, lower 48)
Montana
Wyoming
Idaho
Washington
1985 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee
Food
Omnivores – up to 90% plant matter
* Seasonality
Reproduction
~mid May to early July
litter size = up to 2
*delayed implantation
Behavior
Hibernation (Oct-May)
Species-of-the-Minute
Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
Habitat
• Productive & clean shallow water (soft substrates) = ponds, marshes, swamps, bogs, wet prairies, slow rivers
• Spring & summer = terrestrial habitat for mating & nesting = sunny & well-drained soils
Species of Special Concern in Michigan
Food
• Diet = crayfish & aquatic insects
• Primarily, forage underwater
Reproduction
Mainly in Spring (shallow & deep water) – 14-20 yrs
Clutch size = 6 - 21 eggs
I.P. = 50-75 days (Aug/Sep)
Behavior
- Males = overland travel during mating
- Females leave wetlands to nest
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