Woodcock Movements and Habitat Utilization in Central Alabama

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
American woodcock (Philohela minor) [17] were telemetrically studied during the winters of 1973-75 on a 211-ha farm in Lee County, Alabama [USA]. Data from 10 males and 7 females were used to study movements and habitat utilization. Radio-marked woodcock used mixed hardwood-pine and adjacent bottomland hardwood cover types as diurnal habitat. Activity center stem densities averaged 3818 .+-. 356 (SE) stems/ha for midstory I and 3997 .+-. 450 stems/ha in midstory II. Ground cover in the activity centers consisted of 53 .+-. 4% leaf litter and/or bare soil. Diurnal home range size averaged 9.2 .+-. 2.3 ha. Half the nocturnal locations were in permanent openings and half were in woodlands. Woodcock were consistently active during daylight hours. Crepuscular flights averaged 183 .+-. 28 m distance. Nocturnal movement was less than diurnal movements although the difference was not significant.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: