Human hunting of nongame birds at Zuni, New Mexico, USA

Nongame bird hunting is a critical activity of the Zuni people of the sourt hwestern United States. To help determine whether their current hunting pra ctices may be negatively affecting bird populations on the Zuni Reservation , we interviewed 98 Zuni hunters. Nongame bird hunting was practiced by a l arge portion of Zuni males (45%); the most active age group was 20- to 49-y ears olds. The rate a species was hunted was not a function of its abundanc e at Zuni but seemed instead to be related to its cultural demand. Five "sp ecies" -bluebirds (Sialia currecoides, S. mexicana), Northern Flicker (Cola ptes auratus),woodpeckers (Picoides villosus, P.pubescens, Melanerpes lewis ), Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), and American Kestrel (Falco sparver ius)-made up 77% of all birds taken. The two most heavily hunted species we re each taken in numbers >10,000 individuals per year. Although the greater number of hunters were active in autumn, 31% hunted in spring, despite dis couragement by the tribal governement. Habitats favored by hunters were con iferous forests and riparian areas. Rates of hunting of nongame birds at Zu ni equaled or exceeded those reported for heavily hunted species are decrea sing in number because of hunting. Although we cannot prove this at present , we suggest measures to mitigate possible overhunting, including the creat ion of refugia and a reduction of spring hunting.