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Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus Grasshopper Sparrow bird measurements Arizona 2010-2013

Metadata Updated: July 6, 2024

In 2010-2013 a variety of measurements were taken from grasshopper sparrows captured as part of the study described below and referenced in the larger work citation of this metadata record. Measurements include age, sex, wing length, weight, and exposed culmen length. Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus (commonly referred to as the Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow) occurs in the desert and plains grasslands of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Although a subspecies of conservation concern, this is the first intensive study of its life history and breeding ecology, providing baseline data and facilitating comparisons with other North American Grasshopper Sparrow subspecies. Specifically, I found that ammolegus males generally weighed less than other subspecies (16.0 ± 0.8 g), but with intermediate exposed culmen length (11.6 ± 0.5 mm) and wing chord length similar to the other two migratory subspecies (62.7 ± 1.5 mm). Territory size for ammolegus was 0.72 ± 0.37 ha, with some variation between sites and among years, possibly indicating variation in habitat quality across spatial and temporal scales. The return rate for ammolegus males was 39.2%. Nest initiation for ammolegus was early to mid-July after the monsoons had begun. Domed nests were constructed on the ground, primarily under native bunch grasses, and frequently with a tunnel extending beyond the nest rim, with nest openings oriented north. Clutch size was 3.97 ± 0.68, with no evidence of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) nest parasitism. Extreme climate factors in the arid Southwest may have affected the life history and morphology of ammolegus as compared to other subspecies, influencing body size and mass, culmen length, breeding phenology, and nest orientation. Other geographic variation occurred in return rates, clutch size, and nest parasitism rates. The baseline data for ammolegus obtained in this study will inform future taxonomic and ecological studies as well as conservation planning. Comparisons of ammolegus morphometrics with those of other subspecies will assist field biologists in distinguishing among subspecies where they overlap, especially on wintering grounds.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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Dates

Metadata Created Date June 1, 2023
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI EDI

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date June 1, 2023
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
@Id http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/15b23e7edae801a71ead99fc82fa5cd6
Identifier USGS:594468a5e4b062508e323344
Data Last Modified 20200820
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://datainventory.doi.gov/data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 1a97ce73-9048-4797-b28c-14d486701413
Harvest Source Id 52bfcc16-6e15-478f-809a-b1bc76f1aeda
Harvest Source Title DOI EDI
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial -110.5997,31.5974,-110.5084,31.6991
Publisher Hierarchy White House > U.S. Department of the Interior > U.S. Geological Survey
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash a976ab05f48047cd3c70f75cffd8cfcbeb7537be406c77063066a0214d0d758f
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -110.5997, 31.5974, -110.5997, 31.6991, -110.5084, 31.6991, -110.5084, 31.5974, -110.5997, 31.5974}

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