Brood parasitism of Greater Sage-Grouse by California Quail in Idaho

Authors

Jordan C. Rabon, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844Follow
Sarah E. McIntire, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844Follow
Peter S. Coates, United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, 800 Business Park Drive, Dixon, CA 95620Follow
Mark A. Ricca, United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, 800 Business Park Drive, Dixon, CA 95620Follow
Tracey N. Johnson, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844Follow

Abstract

We describe a case of brood parasitism of a Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) nest by California Quail (Callipepla californica; hereafter, quail) in southwestern Idaho during 2019. We observed one quail egg in the parasitized nest; the egg partially hatched, but the chick was dead upon the final nest check. Of the 6 sage-grouse eggs in the nest, only 2 hatched, although the eggs contained chicks that appeared nearly completely developed. Identification of the quail chick was confirmed using mitochondrial DNA. Additional monitoring and documentation of this behavioral interaction is warranted to better understand its prevalence and any reproductive consequences for sage-grouse.


Se describe un caso de parasitismo de puesta del urogallo de las artemisas o gallo de salvia (Centrocercus urophasianus) de aquí en adelante se mencionará como urogallo, el nido del colín de California o codorniz californiana (Callipepla californica) que la llamaremos codorniz, en el sur del estado de Idaho a partir de 2019. Se observó un huevo de codorniz en el nido con parásitos; el huevo se encontraba parcialmente roto del cascarón, mientras que el polluelo estaba muerto durante la última revisión del nido. De los 6 huevos del urogallo en el nido, solamente dos habían roto el cascarón, aun cuando los huevos tenían polluelos que parecían estar completamente desarrollados. La identificación de la codorniz fue realizada a través del ADN mitrocondrial. Se garantizó monitoreo y documentación adicionales de esta interacción de comportamiento para entender mejor su prevalencia y cualquier consecuencia reproductiva para el urogallo.

Recommended Citation

Rabon, Jordan C.; McIntire, Sarah E.; Coates, Peter S.; Ricca, Mark A.; and Johnson, Tracey N. (2020) "Brood parasitism of Greater Sage-Grouse by California Quail in Idaho," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 80: No. 4, Article 18.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol80/iss4/18