| Popis: |
We investigated whether male greater sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, select lek locations on the basis of topographic features that affect their visibility to both conspecific females and a major avian predator, the golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos. We mapped locations of displaying males at all leks in a local population and used a Geographic Information System (GIS) and digital elevation model (DEM) to generate ‘viewsheds’ around male locations within a boundary set by the estimated maximal visual acuity of the viewer. Areas visible around leks were compared to those visible around random sites with the same conformation of displaying males. Male sage grouse displayed at sites where surrounding topography both diminished long-range visibility (>1000 m) and enhanced short-range visibility ( |
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