CHANGES IN LAND-USE AS A POSSIBLE FACTOR IN MOURNING DOVE POPULATION DECLINE IN CENTRAL UTAH

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) population indices for the western Un ited States have declined significantly since 1966. Based on data coll ected in 1951-1952, in Fillmore, Utah, we examined whether there had b een a local decline in the dove population index since the original da ta were collected. We then determined whether habitat had been altered , identified which foraging habitats doves preferred, and assessed whe ther changes in land use could be responsible, in part, for a decline in the local population index. We found that dove population indices d eclined 72% and 82% from 1952-1992 and 1952-1993, respectively. The mo st dramatic change in habitat was an 82% decline in land devoted to dr y land winter wheat production and a decline in livestock feed pens. D oves foraged primarily in harvested wheat fields, feed pens, and weedy patches. We hypothesize that a decrease in wheat availability during the spring and the consolidation of the livestock industry have contri buted to a population decline of Mourning Doves in central Utah.