John D. Buffington, USGS chief biologist for the western region, called the partnership an "excellent opportunity" for state and federal scientists to work together on a shared natural resource concern. "The task of understanding the status of a bird or any other form of wildlife is not easy," said Buffington. "We have the expertise at our USGS science facilities to work with the State of Arizona to answer critical questions about this species."
Two USGS field stations will be involved in the studies: one is at the University of Arizona in Tucson; the other at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Researchers at the Tucson field station will evaluate the characteristics of cuckoo breeding habitats at numerous sites, assessing the important commonalties among those sites. This information, said Buffington, will allow researchers to more closely characterize successful cuckoo breeding habitats.
The Flagstaff group will search museum and written records for information about the bird's historical abundance and locations. Researchers from this field station will also survey for live cuckoos in suitable habitats, primarily in the northern part of the state.
Arizona's Game and Fish Department activities will complement those of the USGS by focusing on field survey work in the central and southern part of the state, said Shroufe. This research, he added, will also build on the department's ongoing work in Partners in Flight, a national program to conserve neotropical migratory birds. These activities, said Shroufe, are part of the state's nongame and endangered wildlife program, which is funded largely by the Arizona lottery.
Once the information about the cuckoo is collected, Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists and wildlife managers will make a recommendation about the status of the cuckoo in Arizona to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian
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Contact: Pete Comanor
pete_comanor@usgs.gov
206-220-4618
United States Geological Survey
30-Jun-1998