GENDER PREDICTION FROM BODY MEASUREMENTS OF TWO SUBSPECIES OF SANDHILL CRANES

Authors

Stephen A. Nesbitt, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish CommissionFollow
Clinton T. Moore, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
Kathleen S. Williams, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission

Date of this Version

1992

Document Type

Article

Citation

Nesbitt, Stephen A., Clinton T. Moore, and Kathleen S. Williams. "Gender Prediction From Body Measurements of Two Subspecies of Sandhill Cranes.", In: Stahlecker D. W., ed. 1992. Proceedings of the Sixth North American Crane Workshop, Oct. 3-5, 1991, Regina, Sask. (Grand Island, NE.: North American Crane Working Group, 1992), In: Stahlecker D. W., ed. 1992. Proceedings of the Sixth North American Crane Workshop, Oct. 3-5, 1991, Regina, Sask. (Grand Island, NE.: North American Crane Working Group, 1992), 38-42.

Comments

Conference co-sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Saskatchewan Parks and Renewable Resources Department, and the Whooping Crane Conservation Association, Canadian Council. Proceedings used by permission of the North American Crane Working Group.

Abstract

Linear discriminant functions estimated from leg length, bill length and body weight measurements of known subspecies and known gender (KS-KG) Florida (FSH) and greater sandhill cranes (GSH) (Grus canadensis pratensis and G. c. tabida, respectively) were used to predict gender of known subspecies and unknown gender (KS-UG) individuals. Mean body measurements were larger among males than among females of either subspecies, but the difference in mean bill length between genders was larger among GSH than among FSH cranes. Gender misclassification was less frequent among GSH than among FSH cranes. Of birds whose measurements fell outside of the 80% prediction region surrounding either gender measurement mean, misclassification rates were ~ 6 %.