MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
"7 * 7 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson, Editor 
Urbana, Illinois 
July, 1964 
Vol. 7, No. 7 
1. Pheasant Populations and Lan d Use J. E. War nock, S. L. Etter 
The 28 pheasant broods observed along 320 miles of standardized roadside 
routes on the Sibley area during July 1964 we~e 56 percent less than the 63 
broods recorded for the same number of miles during July 1963, and 61 percent 
less than the 72 broods recorded during July 1962. In July of 1959, 1960, 
and 1961, comparable counts of 52, 82, and 83 broods were recorded, respec¬ 
tively. 
This information, plus the fact that to date only 209 nests, including 
19 successful nests, have been located by searches conducted of the northwest 
10 acres of 100, 40-acre randomly selected plots, indicates a very low rate of 
pheasant reproduction on the Sibley Study Area during 1964. 
2. M anipulation of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
The second and final search was made for pheasant nests on manipulated 
and on control roadside plots along 8 miles of roadway on the Sibley Study Area 
from July 22 to 27; the first search took place June 10 to 17. A total of 106 
pheasant nests were located on the plots during the two searches, 68(4.3 nests 
per acre) on seeded plots and 38(2.4 nests per acre) on control plots. During 
1963, 44 nests (2.9 per acre) were located on seeded plots and 41 nests (2.7 
per acre) on control plots. Thus, nest densities on seeded plots increased by 
1.4 per acre compared to a decrease of 0.3 nest per acre on control plots. In 
1963, 17 nests hatched on seeded plots, compared to 7 nests on control plots. 
As of July 30, 1964, 10 nests had hatched on seeded plots with 5 hens still 
incubating; 4 nests had hatched on control plots with 1 hen still incubating 
(Table 1). 
Table 1. Status of pheasant nests on manipulated and on control roadside plots 
along 8 miles of roadway, Sibley Study Area, at the conclusion of the 1963 
nesting season and on July 30, 1964. 
Nests 
Number of Nests 
Seeded Plots Control Plots 
1963 1964 1963 1964 
Active — 5 — 1 
Hatched 17 10 7 4 
Abandoned, destroyed, or both 27 53 34 33 
NATURAL HiSiuiiY SURVEY 
AUG 19 1964 
