Wildlife Habitat Score Card
Objective: Evaluate a specific grassland for its value to cottontail
rabbits and bobwhite quail.
A grassland manager who is interested in both livestock and wildlife production
must be
able to recognize the habitat requirements of both. It is important to
remember that wild animals
are not confined by fences. Cover such as brush piles and shrubby thickets
may be located in
areas next to the grassland while additional food and cover can be provided
within the grassland
unit.
The following form lists factors considered when evaluating a specific
tract of grassland,
pasture or hay field. The objective of this exercise is to identify limiting
factors that can be
overcome to improve habitat for rabbits and quail. Each field or pasture
unit should be rated on
the conditions within the fenced area only. An aerial photograph of a
specific grassland unit
would be helpful in identifying habitat components in adjacent fields.
A brief explanation
follows each appraisal category.
APPRAISAL OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
1.______ DISTANCE FROM CENTER OF FIELD TO THE NEAREST PROTECTED
ODD AREA OR UNGRAZED OLD FIELD:
A. Over 500 feet
B. 250 – 499 feet
C. Less than 249 feet
Odd areas and old fields that are relatively close to the center of the
field are important to rabbits and quail. They provide excellent nesting
and roosting sites, and often these areas support seed producing plants
that quail need. The peak quail hatching period is around June 15, so
these protected areas and old fields provide undisturbed nesting sites.
Nest trampling by livestock is eliminated. When appraising an area for
wildlife, consider whether there are any areas that are not productive,
that could be protected and managed. When managing for rabbits or quail,
try to find areas that can be protected that are less than 250 feet from
the center of the fields being appraised. Obviously, this is easier to
do when the pasture is relatively small. Often, these odd areas or old
fields will require some management (prescribed burning, light disking),
or they will go through successional plant stages and may not be as beneficial
to some wildlife species.
2.______ PERCENT OF FIELD COVERED BY WINTER OR ESCAPE COVER (Include
brushy draws, brush piles, fallen logs, etc.):
A. 0 to less than 1%. The field is devoid of any usable thickets,
blackberry patches, or dense, brushy cover.
B. 1%-10 % has winter/escape cover. This would be considered to
be a “marginal” amount of cover and valuable to wildlife if
livestock have not trampled and grazed through it. Look into the thicket
to see if predators could pass through easily, or would a rabbit be able
to escape.
C. Field is less than 10 acres in size. Choose this category only
if the fence rows consist of very dense escape cover as described in B.
If not, select “A” above, since this field would be of little
value to wildlife for escape cover.
Winter and escape cover is very important to the survival of rabbits
and quail. These areas include dense brushy cover, brush piles, fallen
logs, etc. In order to be of value within this category, the cover must
be dense enough that a man would have great difficulty walking through
it, and a coyote or fox would not be able to catch a rabbit that ran into
it.
3.______ PERCENT CANOPY COVERAGE OF SHRUBS AND HERBACEOUS
VEGETATION 6 TO 18 INCHES TALL:
A. Less than 25% coverage
B. 26 to 75% coverage
C. More than 76% coverage
Consider the shrubs and weedy plants that are from six inches to eighteen
inches tall or around knee high. This category is different from number
two, since canopy cover provides protection from birds of prey (aerial
cover), while allowing easy movement through the vegetation. The ideal
range of canopy cover for quail and rabbits would be between 26% to 75%.
An area with more than 75% coverage may be difficult for quail, rabbits
and turkeys to walk through. When canopy coverage is less than 25% or
more than 75%, the area is considered to be less attractive to upland
wildlife, especially rabbits & quail.
4.______ GRAZING PRESSURE:
A. Heavy: Less than three inches of forage height. Heavy stocking
rate of livestock.
B. Moderate: Three to eight inches of forage height.
C. Light: Stocking rate is light, resulting in tall forage remaining
on the unit.
Grazing pressure: The height of the grass or forage is a critical
habitat factor for wildlife such as rabbits and quail. During the growing
season, quail may utilize the field edges for nesting, but will be forced
to move to other sites if plants are grazed to less than 8 inches. Quail
nests can be destroyed by livestock trampling when pastures are heavily
grazed.
If the cool-season grass pasture has a history of heavy grazing,
all grazing should be deferred during the growing season to improve the
vigor of the grass stand. Deferment will also tend to improve the species
composition of the stand. After a period of rest, the stand can be grazed,
but it should be monitored closely to avoid the removal of too much of
the forage.
Moderate grazing will apply mainly to a cool-season pasture and is
defined as leaving 3 - 8 inches during the winter.
Light grazing may result in tall forage being on the unit during
most of the year. This could result in too much forage being present for
the benefit of rabbit and quail. Very dense grassy vegetation, especially
fescue, can become a negative factor by restricting the movement of young
quail from the nest.
Grazing to remove only 50% of the year's growth is usually applied to
native, warmseason grasses. These grasses should not be grazed to a height
of less than eight inches. Livestock should never be allowed to “winter”
on any native warm-season grass land.
5.______ PERCENT OF GROUND COVERED OR SHADED BY LEGUMES:
A. 5% or less
B. 6 to 50%
C. 51% or more
Legumes are an important plant group for both wildlife and livestock.
Rabbits and quail find grazing units with less than 5% or more than 50%
of the ground covered by legumes to be less attractive than when the ground
cover ranges between 6 and 49%.
Wildlife use both the seeds and the vegetative parts of these plants.
Legumes are also important in the removal of nitrogen from the air and
fixing it in the soil for use by other plants, including grasses and forbs.
Insects that make up a high percentage of songbird and quail diet can
also be found on these plants. Legumes include alfalfa, clovers, tick
trefoil, Korean lespedeza, partridge pea, lead plant, hop clover and many
others.
6.______ PLANT COMPOSITION:
A. Fescue (>90% fescue)
B. Mixed cool-season grasses (<10% legumes)
C. Cool-season grass dominant (10 to 25% legumes or other grasses)
D. Cool-season grass / legumes (26 to 60% legumes)
E. Legume dominant (>75% legume)
F. Warm-season grass dominant (<40% other species)
Fescue (>90% fescue) The stem density at ground level would be
too thick to be attractive to wildlife. When fescue approaches just 40%
of the pasture composition, most wildlife species will not use this habitat
situation for nesting, feeding, roosting, etc.
Mixed Cool-season grasses (<10% legumes) A common pasture throughout
Missouri, but legumes do not make up enough of the plant population to
be attractive to many wildlife species. The grasses could be a mixture
of orchard grass, tall fescue, bluegrass, timothy, etc.
Cool-season grass dominant (10 to 25% legumes or other grasses)
The dominant grass could be tall fescue, orchard grass, timothy, etc.
with legumes making up only a small percentage of the composition.
Cool-season grass / legumes (26 to 60% legumes) Usually considered
to be a coolseason/legume pasture. The grass component could be tall fescue,
orchard grass, timothy or bluegrass, etc. with legumes such as clovers,
lespedezas, hop clovers, etc. This is probably the most widely used forage
system in Missouri. The grass-legume mixture is also attractive to insects
that make up nearly all of the diet of young quail chicks. Young birds
and rabbits can use the pasture only if the stem density at ground level
is not too dense to allow ease of movement.
Legume dominant (>75% legume) An excellent pasture where young
turkey poults, quail chicks and many songbirds can easily move through
the vegetation in search of insects and succulent plants for food. Deer,
rabbits, groundhogs and other smaller rodents, also find this pasture
attractive as a source of food and cover.
Warm-season grass dominant (<40% other species) The native warm-season
grasses provide an excellent condition for most wildlife species, when
managed with other necessary habitat components. A mixture of broadleaf
plants and warm-season grasses provide the diversity required by ground
nesting birds such as quail and many songbirds. These grasses provide
a cool, moist summer environment and a warm, dry winter environment. They
are compatible with species such as legumes, sedges, and seed-producing
forbs, which are used as browse, by wildlife species. Insects, which are
important in the diet of many wildlife species, thrive in the bunch-grass
and feed mainly on the legumes and forbs. It should be noted that not
all introduced warm-season grasses provide an attractive habitat component
after they have become established. Most often, these grasses form a dense
sod that eliminates or restricts wildlife movement.
7.______ DISTANCE FROM CENTER OF FIELD TO EDGE OF NEAREST CROP FIELD.
A. Over 500 feet to crop field
B. 250 to 499 feet to chiseled or disked crop field
C. Less than 249 feet to chiseled or disked crop field
D. 250 to 500 feet to crop field with no fall tillage or with crop of
winter wheat.
E. Less than 249 feet to crop field with no fall tillage or with crop
of winter wheat
Studies show that crop fields are an important part of the habitat of
bobwhite quail. When the minimum amounts of pesticides are used, the soil
disturbance produces ragweed and other seed-producing plants that are
important quail foods. Crop residue (waste grain) left on the soil surface
after harvest can be an important source of emergency food during the
winter.
Studies also show that a high number of bobwhite quail nests will be
located from 50 to 150 feet of bare ground. If bare ground, such as a
crop field, is located next to a properly managed grassland, the chances
of a pair of quail successfully hatching and rearing their brood of young
chicks are greatly increased.
Estimate the distance from the center of the grazing unit or paddock to
the edge of the nearest crop field. A crop field that is located more
than 500 feet from the center of the grassland unit is considered to be
of no value to upland wildlife, such as rabbit and quail. A crop field
with no fall tillage and located less than 250 feet from the center of
the pasture is considered to be of the highest value.
8.______ FIELD SIZE – THE PERCENT OF FIELD WITHIN 250 FEET OF
DENSE WOODY COVER OR UNGRAZED WOODLAND.
A. Less than 25%.
B. 26 to 50%.
C. 51 to 75%.
D. 76 to 100%.
Generally speaking, the larger the field, the less value it has for wildlife.
Quail use the field edge where other habitat types, especially escape
cover, are available. Studies show that quail rarely move further than
one-eighth of a mile (660 ft.) between habitat components. Cottontail
rabbits require habitat components that are even closer together -- 250
feet. The interior of a very large grassland grazing unit, therefore,
would be utilized very little by these wildlife species.
Estimate or measure the percent of the field that is located within 250
feet of concealment cover, ungrazed woodland or dense woody cover. Generally,
this represents that portion of a pasture or hay field that will be utilized
by quail and rabbits during average seasonal conditions.
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