Habitat for breeding Buteo regalis (Ferruginous Hawk) is diminished by natural gas development

Clicks: 21
ID: 331723
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #27 of 38 articles by views in Ornithological Applications

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract The expansion of natural gas development can reduce habitat for some species of raptors. Understanding how raptors utilize habitat in landscapes prior to development can help guide effective conservation and management decisions. Buteo regalis (Ferruginous Hawk) are the largest hawks in North America and may be particularly susceptible to energy development given their preference for grasslands and shrublands in the arid West, where resource extraction is prevalent and increasing. We investigated factors associated with B. regalis breeding-season home-range estimates and habitat selection in a relatively undisturbed landscape slated for high-density energy development and bordered by existing natural gas development. We deployed GPS transmitters on 15 breeding B. regalis in Wyoming and used movement data to evaluate home range size and habitat selection. We found that B. regalis avoided wells producing natural gas, selecting areas at greater distances from and with lower densities of producing wells. Where home ranges overlapped with producing wells, breeding hawks had larger home-range estimates. Additionally, B. regalis selected habitat with elevated terrain (i.e., ridges and pillars), low shrub cover, and habitat types associated with primary prey species. This study is the first to identify a significant difference in home-range estimates between sex (female, male) and breeding status (breeding, nonbreeding) for this species. Even so, home-range estimates were smaller relative to other populations, suggesting that habitat quality is currently high for breeding pairs in this study area prior to development. Identifying the landscape characteristics that breeding hawks select (e.g., elevated terrain) and avoid (e.g., producing wells) is vital to inform conservation strategies in a multi-use landscape.
Reference Key
openalex_W7220854485 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Sarah Ramirez, Bryan Bedrosian, Dale Woolwine, Katherine Gura, Liba Pejchar
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal Ornithological Applications
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/ornithapp/duag093
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duag093
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.