Response of female California quail (Callipepla californica) to methyl parathion treatment of their home ranges during the nesting period

摘要

AbstractFifty‐eight female California quail (Callipepla californica) were trapped and fitted with transmitters at the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area, Oregon, from April to July in 1988 and in 1989. Radiotelemetry was used to monitor hen movements daily throughout two breeding seasons (May to mid‐August). Home ranges for the first half of incubation for 15 of 22 nesting hens were treated with methyl parathion 4E (n= 7) or water (n= 8) at a rate of 0.56 kg active ingredient per hectare. No measurable effects were found for nest attentiveness from pre‐ to post‐treatment period within the methyl parathion (p= 0.47) and water (p= 0.57) groups and use of treated areas between groups (p= 1.00). Also, no measurable effects were found for rates of nest success (p= 0.61), nest abandonment (p= 0.20), and recruitment to 15 d post‐hatch (p= 0.40) between the methyl parathion and water groups. However, a lower hatching rate (p= 0.02) was found in eggs from hens in the methyl parath