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MONTHLY l/ILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
T. G. Scott, Editor 
Urbana, Illinois 
May, 1963 
Vol. 6, No. 5 
1. Pheasant Populations and Lan d Use J. E. Warnock, G. B. Joselyn 
Examination of a 2-inch band of vegetation encircling each nest bowl of 470 
pheasant nests found on the Sibley area in 1962 revealed legumes to be associated 
with 70.6 percent of the nests, grasses with 61.6 percent of the nests, and plants 
other than grasses and legumes with 17-4 percent of the nests. The composition of 
vegetation frequently utilized by pheasants for nesting consisted of legumes only 
for 33-2 percent of the nests, legumes and grasses for 30.1 percent of the nests, 
and grasses only for 19*1 percent of the nests, Table 1. 
Red clover occurred more frequently around pheasant nests at Sibley in 1962 tha 
any other plant, Table 2. Timothy, alfalfa, sweet clover, brome grass, bluegrass, 
and cats were other plants frequently utilized by pheasants for nesting. 
The relationship between plant availabi’ity and utilization by pheasants for 
nesting suggests that the seeding of legumes and grasses to improve nesting cover 
for pheasants is a wel1-founded step in habitat manipulation programs. 
Table 1. Composition of vegetation proximal to 470 pheasant nests examined on 
the Sibley area, 1 962 . 
Composition of Cover at Nest Site 
Number 
of Nests 
Percentage of 
Total Nests 
1 . 
Legume(s) Only 
156 
3^.2 
2. 
Grass(es) Only* 
90 
19-1 
3- 
Legume(s) and Grass(es) 
142 
30.2 
4. 
Other Herbaceous Plants Only 
9 
1.9 
5- 
Legume (s) and Other Herbaceous 
Plants 
15 
3-2 
6. 
Grass(es) and Other Herbaceous 
Plants 
39 
8.3 
7- 
Legume(s), Grass(es) and Other 
Herbaceous 
PI ants 
19 
4.0 
Total 
470 
99.9 
Includes annual feed-grain crops, such as oats and wheat. 
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