COMMON RAVENS DISRUPT GREATER SAGE-GROUSE LEKKING BEHAVIOR IN THE GREAT BASIN

Joseph L Atkinson; U.S. Geological Survey; jatkinson@usgs.gov; Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Ian A. Dwight, Mark A. Ricca, Pat J. Jackson

Expansion of human enterprise has contributed to increased interactions between common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse), a species of high conservation concern. Sage-grouse population trends are estimated using count survey data of males attending traditional breeding grounds, known as leks. We sought to investigate associations of ravens to sage-grouse lek sites and to document interactions between sage-grouse and ravens as well as those between sage-grouse and other animals observed around leks. First, we used extensive raven point counts and sage-grouse lek observation data collected across the Great Basin, from 2009–2019 to evaluate spatial associations between ravens and sage-grouse leks. Second, we used a subset of the lek dataset from 2006–2019 to describe behavioral changes of male sage-grouse in the presence of ravens and other animals. Our analyses indicated that ravens were attracted to lek sites, especially as leks increased in size, and were associated with flush events and decreased display behaviors exhibited by lekking sage-grouse. These results suggest ravens may adversely influence sage-grouse reproduction during the lekking stage. Additionally, standardized techniques to count sage-grouse leks for population trend analyses could be negatively biased if raven presence during surveys is not accounted for.

Poster Session