, AND B. N. WILEY. 1979. The biology of the white-crowned pigeon. Wildl. Monogr. 64. 54pp. WOOD, D. A. 1992. Official lists of endangered and potentially endangered fauna and flora in Florida. Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Comm., Tallahassee. 25pp.

To characterize western sage grouse (Cenkocercus urophusiunus phubs Bonaparte) nesting habitat in sagebrush-steppe habitat in Washington, we iuitiated a study on the Yakima Trahdng Center to determine nesting habitat characteristics and whether these characteristics diiered between successful and depredated nests. Most nests (71%) were in big sagebrush (Artemesia trkfenfafu Nutt.)/bunchgrass communities. Nest habitat was characterized by greater shrub cover, shrub height, vertical cover height, residual cover, and litter than at random locations. Successful 1-m' nest sites within big sagebrush/bunchgrass iu 1992 bad less shrub cover (51%) and shrub height (64 cm) than depredated nest sites (70% and 90 cm, respectively). Successful 77-m' nest areas in big sagebrush/bunchgrass in 1993 had more tall grass (2 18 cm) than depredated nest areas. Management that protects the big sagebrush/bun&grass community is essential for maintain@ nesting habitat for sage grouse.

Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus and C. minimus) historically inhabited much of the sagebrush-dominated habitat of North America. Today, sage-grouse populations are declining throughout most of their range. Population dynamics of sagegrouse are marked by strong cyclic behavior. Adult survival is high, but is offset by low juvenile survival, resulting in low productivity. Habitat for sage-grouse varies strongly by life-history Current Ran e

Many species of wildlife depend on riparian habitats for various life-history functions (e.g., breeding, foraging, overwintering). Although this unique habitat is critical for many species, delineations of riparian zones and buffers for various taxa are lacking. Typically when buffer zones are determined to mitigate edge effects, they are based on criteria that protect aquatic resources alone and do not consider impacts to wildlife and other terrestrial resources. Using two different survey methods (area-constrained daytime searches and nighttime visual encounter searches), we estimated core terrestrial habitat and buffer widths for stream-breeding salamanders in southern Appalachian streams from May to August 2004. A core terrestrial habitat of 27.0 m encompassed 95% of the salamander assemblage (four species of stream plethodontids), and an additional 50 m (to buffer edge effects) yielded a total buffer of 77.0 m. When each species of the assemblage was analyzed separately, the maximum core terrestrial habitat needed for the Blue Ridge two-lined salamander (Eurycea wilderae), a dominant member and the farthest-ranging species from the stream, was 42.6 m. Thus, we recommend an overall buffer width of 92.6 m in southern Appalachian streams. To protect stream amphibians and other wildlife dependent on riparian areas, land managers and policy makers must consider conserving more than aquatic resources alone. Developing core terrestrial habitat estimates and buffer zone widths for wildlife populations is a critical first step in the conservation of many semiaquatic organisms and protecting biodiversity.

Diet, dietary selection, and nutritional composition of the foods of sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) hens were determined during the pre-laying period in southeastern Oregon in 1990 and 1991. We collected 42 female sage grouse during a 5-week period preceding incubation (4 March-8 April). Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) was the most common among 21 foods consumed but forbs composed 18 to 50% of the diet by weight. Desert-parsley (Lomatium spp.), hawksbeard (Crepis spp.), long-leaf phlox (Phlox longifolia Nutt.), everlasting (Antennaria spp.), mountain-dandelion (Agoserir spp.), clover (Trifoliwnspp.), Pursh's milk-vetch (Astragalus purshii Dougl.), buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), and obscure milkvetch (A. obscurus) were the primary (11% of the diet by weight) forbs consumed. Forbs were used selectively over sagebrush in both low and big sagebrush cover types. All forbs were higher in crude protein and phosphorus and many were higher in calcium than sagebrush. Consumption of forbs increased nutrient content of the composite diet. Substantially fewer forbs were present in the diet in 1991 than in 1990, which coincided with reduced sage grouse productivity on the study area. These results suggest that consumption of forbs during the pre-laying period may effect reproductive success by improving nutritional status of hens.