SCALED QUAIL USE OF DIFFERENT SERAL STAGES IN THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT

The Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern United States and northern M exico is the primary habitat of the scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) , but populations have declined over much of this area since 1960. Bec ause changes in ecological condition of Chihuahuan Desert rangelands m ay explain the decline in scaled quail populations over the last 37 ye ars, we conducted scaled quail counts seasonally (1988-89) on sites in late-and mid-seral ecological condition in southcentral New Mexico. O n the basis of percent cover, grasses were the most important plant gr oup on the late-seral site (65-70% remaining climax vegetation), while shrubs dominated the mid-seral site. The main effect of ecological co ndition (35-40% remaining climax vegetation; P = 0.48) and the interac tion of ecological condition with season (P = 0.69) were not significa nt far scaled quail observations. but the main effect of season was si gnificant (P < 0.05). Scaled quail observations in grassland, shrub-gr ass, and grassland communities differed from expected values. When dat a were pooled across seasons, more scaled quail were observed in shrub -grass mosaic communities than shrubland and grassland communities (P = 0.07). Fewer sightings of scaled quail were made in grassland commun ities near climax than in shrubland communities in an early seral stag e. Availability of food sources and protective cover were apparently p rimary determinants of habitat use by scaled quail. Data from our stud y indicate that areas with a mixture of late and mid-seral plant commu nities will provide the best available habitat for scaled quail in the Chihuahuan Desert.