Selection of Pathways to Foraging Sites in Crop Fields by Flightless Canada geese

Geese, especially when they are flightless, can cause significant crop damage. We determined the effects of shoreline characteristics on foraging site selection by flightless Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in South Dakota. Distance from edge of crop field to wetland and visual obstruction by veget...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Utah State University 2017
Subjects:
branta canadensis
crop damage
distance
forage
geese
human–wildlife conflicts
molt
predation risk
south dakota
visual obstruction
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
General. Including nature conservation
geographical distribution
QH1-199.5
Canada
Branta canadensis
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.26077/1ht0-nf14
https://doaj.org/article/45e5e9e3e67d44aa8f52a06d1a79e729
Description
Summary:Geese, especially when they are flightless, can cause significant crop damage. We determined the effects of shoreline characteristics on foraging site selection by flightless Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in South Dakota. Distance from edge of crop field to wetland and visual obstruction by vegetation were important determinants of pathway selection by geese. Geese used crop fields for foraging that were closer to water than unused fields. Geese accessed those fields along pathways with less visual obstruction by vegetation than unused pathways. Our data suggest that this distance of crops to wetlands is the most important shoreline characteristic determining where flightless geese cause crop damage.

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