Welcome to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Balancing Resource Use and Conservation

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Wildlife Activities

      Research and Monitoring - Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Habitat Modeling

Yellow-billed cuckoo at the CRIT9 Restoration Site in July 2009 within the Colorado River Inidan Tribes 'Ahahkav Tribal Preserve, near Parker, AZ - Southern Sierra Research StationA yellow-billed cuckoo that was captured in a net and banded in August 2008 fed a cicada prior to release back into cottonwood willow habitat on the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge, near Parker, AZ - Southern Sierra Research StationA yellow-billed cuckoo showing color bands on both legs for future identification in June 2009 at the Colorado River Indian Tribes 'Ahakhav Tribal Preserve, near Parker, AZ - Southern Sierra Research Station

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Habitat Modeling

Yellow-billed cuckoo utilize cottonwood-willow habitat and may act as an umbrella species for other covered avian species that use these mature habitats. Existing yellow-billed cuckoo populations and habitat are being determined along the LCR as systematic surveys are conducted over the project area. Habitat and presence/absence data pertaining to yellow-billed cuckoos on the LCR will be used to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based model of yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat within the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation area, including data from the San Pedro River and Verde Rivers in Arizona.

In July 2008, the project to develop a GIS-based model of yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat was initiated. The project consists of developing spatially explicit (i.e., GIS-based) models to identify cuckoo breeding habitat within the LCR MSCP boundaries, and applying the models to the Verde River watershed, and lower San Pedro River. We are using existing data on the distribution and abundance of cuckoos in the LCR MSCP planning area to examine the effects of landscape-scale habitat variables on cuckoo distribution and identify features that constitute high quality cuckoo habitat within the planning area. LCR yellow-billed cuckoo detections collected in 2007, 2008 and 2009 will be overlaid onto the 2006 model output to assess the temporal accuracy and stability of the model. Change detections between 2001 and 2009 will be conducted to determine the stability of yellow-billed cuckoo habitat.

This type of model can identify the relative importance of individual variables or a combination of variables in influencing the distribution of a species. The model will contribute to the assessment of alternative designs and management of habitat created for the yellow-billed cuckoo on the LCR. The model will then be applied throughout LCR MSCP boundary areas. Such information is vital for decisions concerning the selection of areas for conservation and the assessment of alternative designs and management for riparian restoration.

For additional information on this project, please refer to Work Task C24: Avian Species Habitat Requirements (PDF). Find Technical Reports for this Work Task here.

Conceptual Model: Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Habitat Selection
Figure 1. Conceptual Model: Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Habitat Selection

Updated November 26, 2012