3 



The state-wide status and viability of Ferruginous 

 Hawks in Montana is poorly known with studies to date 

 centered in extreme southeastern, extreme southwestern, and 

 north-central Montana (Ensign 1983; Myers 1987; Restani 

 1989, 1991; Harmata 1991; Wittenhagen 1991). Montana 

 appears to support a relatively stable population of 

 breeding Ferruginous Hawks, second in size only to Wyoming 

 in the United States (Ure et al. 1991, USFWS 1992) . Myers 

 (1987) documented a very high density of nesting pairs in 

 Beaverhead and Madison counties, rivalled by few other 

 populations region-wide. However, similar to other portions 

 of its breeding range, apparently suitable habitat in 

 southwestern Montana remains unoccupied by breeding 

 Ferruginous Hawks (Fitzner et al. 1977, E. C. Atkinson pers. 

 observ.) and the number of active territories has likely 

 declined historically in Montana as a result of homesteading 

 and the concurrent conversion of native grasslands to 

 agriculture (Dennis Flath pers. comm.). Just to our north 

 in Alberta, Ferruginous Hawks presently occupy only 60% of 

 the area in which they historically nested, a situation that 

 is strongly tied to increases in land area used for 

 agriculture and the increases of woody species associated 

 with fire suppression (Houston and Bechard 1984; Schmutz 

 1984, 1987a) . 



This study was a continuation of the surveys of public 

 land in southwest Montana performed in 1985 and 1986 by 



