Greater Sage-Grouse chick killed by Great Basin gopher snake

Authors

Sarah E. McIntire, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844Follow
Jordan C. Rabon, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844Follow
Peter S. Coates, United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA 95620Follow
Mark A. Ricca, United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA 95620Follow
Tracey N. Johnson, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844Follow

Abstract

Despite extensive range overlap between Great Basin gopher snakes (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) and Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) within sagebrush ecosystems, there are few documented predator–prey interactions between these species. Although gopher snakes have been observed preying on nests of other prairie grouse, studies that used video-monitoring at sage-grouse nests found gopher snakes unable to consume sage-grouse eggs and reported just a single instance of a snake consuming a <1-day-old chick in a nest bowl. On the morning of 4 June 2018 at 04:55, we observed a Great Basin gopher snake killing, constricting, and attempting to consume a 19-day-old sage-grouse chick in the foothills of the Owyhee Mountains, southwestern Idaho. This observation is the first record of a gopher snake killing a sage-grouse chick during the late brood-rearing period and highlights the likelihood that large gopher snakes are a cause of chick mortality from hatch day to at least 19 days post-hatch.


A pesar del extenso rango de sobrelapamiento entre la distribución de la serpiente de gopher (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) y el urogallo de las artemisas (Centrocercus urophasianus), dentro de los ecosistemas de artemisas, existen pocos registros de interacción depredador-presa entre estas dos especies. Aunque, se han observado serpientes de gopher depredando nidos de otros urogallos, estudios recientes (con técnicas de monitoreo por video) en nidos de urogallos de las artemisas, indican que las serpientes de gopher no pueden consumir huevos de urogallos, reportando un solo caso de una serpiente depredando una cría (menor a un día) en un nido. En la mañana del 4 de junio de 2018 a las 04:55, observamos una serpiente de gopher de la Gran Cuenca matando, apretando e intentando depredar a una cría de urogallo de 19 días, al pie de las montañas Owyhee, al suroeste de Idaho. Este es el primer registro de una serpiente de gopher depredando una cría de urogallo de las artemisas, a finales del periodo de cuidado de las crías. Además, esta observación sugiere la posibilidad de que las serpientes de gopher de mayor tamaño sean la causa de mortalidad de las crías de urogallos, desde la eclosión y hasta los 19 días posteriores.

Recommended Citation

McIntire, Sarah E.; Rabon, Jordan C.; Coates, Peter S.; Ricca, Mark A.; and Johnson, Tracey N. (2020) "Greater Sage-Grouse chick killed by Great Basin gopher snake," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 80: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol80/iss1/7