Survival rates of translocated and native Mountain Quail in Oregon

Authors

Michael D. Pope, Oregon State University, Corvallis
John A. Crawford, Oregon State University, Corvallis

Abstract

We estimated survival rates for 232 radio-tagged native (n = 157) and translocated (n = 75) Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus) from 1997 to 1999 in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (HCNRA) in northeastern Oregon and in the Cascade Mountain Range (CMR) of southwestern Oregon. For the combined areas the estimated survival rate during 150-day intervals was 0.42 ± 0.04. Estimated survival was 0.41 ± 0.04 for Mountain Quail in HCNRA and 0.34 ± 0.34 for quail in CMR. There were no differences in survival functions for native quail in HCNRA and CMR (P = 0.91), for translocated and native quail in HCNRA (P = 0.93), for native quail in CMR and translocated quail in HCNRA (P = 0.97), or for birds released in the fall and birds released in the winter (P = 0.57). Male and female survival functions were significantly different (X²₁ = 4.61, P = 0.02). The estimated risk ratio for males was 0.66 that of females. Translocated wild Mountain Quail appeared to have survival rates similar to native quail. Mountain Quail experienced mortalities of >50% over a 150-day interval in both the conifer forests of the western Cascade Mountain Range and the semiarid habitats of northeastern Oregon. With the ability to rapidly expand their populations and exploit marginal habitats, Mountain Quail are excellent candidates for reintroduction programs, and translocated wild Mountain Quail could be used to supplement declining populations.

Recommended Citation

Pope, Michael D. and Crawford, John A. (2004) "Survival rates of translocated and native Mountain Quail in Oregon," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 64: No. 3, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol64/iss3/6