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1 February 2009 Influence of Trees in the Landscape on Parasitism Rates of Grassland Passerine Nests in Southeastern North Dakota
Pamela J. Pietz, Deborah A. Buhl, Jill A. Shaffer, Maiken Winter, Douglas H. Johnson
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Abstract

Woody vegetation has been linked to increased rates of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism for some grassland hosts. In northern North Dakota, however, studies reported that parasitism of grassland passerine nests was lower in landscapes with trees than in those without trees. We looked for evidence of this pattern elsewhere, using data from two studies conducted on the Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern North Dakota. Specifically, we examined the probability of parasitism relative to percent tree cover within 2 km of a nest. We found a negative relationship for grassland passerine nests of all species tested. Our results support the suggestion that cowbirds are less likely to parasitize nests of grassland passerines where tree cover on the landscape is greater. This pattern could be explained by cowbirds switching to alternative hosts in woodlands, but this hypothesis needs further testing.

© 2009 by The Cooper Ornithological Society. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Rights and Permissions website, http://www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintlnfo.asp.
Pamela J. Pietz, Deborah A. Buhl, Jill A. Shaffer, Maiken Winter, and Douglas H. Johnson "Influence of Trees in the Landscape on Parasitism Rates of Grassland Passerine Nests in Southeastern North Dakota," The Condor 111(1), 36-42, (1 February 2009). https://doi.org/10.1525/cond.2009.080012
Received: 29 August 2008; Accepted: 1 January 2009; Published: 1 February 2009
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