Predators on Red-winged Blackbird nests in eastern North Dakota

Authors

Richard S. Sawin, North Dakota State University, Fargo, Department of Biological Sciences
Mark W. Lutman, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
George M. Linz, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
William J. Bleier, North Dakota State University, Fargo, Department of Biological SciencesFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

July 2003

Comments

Published by J. Field Ornithol. 74(3):288–292, 2003.

Abstract

Predation has consistently been identified as the most common cause of nest failure for Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). During May and June, 2000 and 2001, we used infrared-triggered camera systems to identify potential nest predators on artificially relocated Red-winged Blackbird nests in eastern North Dakota. For some of the species observed, these observations represent the first documentation of predation on Red-winged Blackbird nests in the northern Great Plains.