Band-tailed Pigeon Population Status, 2010

This report summarizes information on the abundance and harvest of band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) in the western United States and British Columbia through 2009. The all-bird Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides and annual index to abundance of Interior and Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons since 1966, while the MSS, implemented in 2004, was designed specifically to index abundance of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons. Harvest and hunter participation are estimated from the Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program. The BBS provided strong evidence that the abundance of Interior band-tailed pigeons decreased (4.0% per year, 95% credible interval = -8.3 to 0.8) over the long term (1966–2009). Also, abundance appeared to decrease during the recent 10 and 5 years, but credible intervals included zero. Current (2009) estimates of total harvest, active hunters, and total hunter days afield were 5,000 ± 1,250 (estimate ± SE) birds, 4,400 hunters, and 13,200 ± 2,829 days afield. Harvest comprised 8.3% hatching year birds during the 2009 season. For Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons, the BBS provided strong evidence that abundance decreased (-2.6% per year, CI = -5.4 to -1.1) over the long term (1966–2009). Abundance appeared to decrease during the recent 10 and 5 years, but credible intervals included zero. The MSS, however, provided some evidence that abundance decreased (7.0% per year, CI = -14.0 to 0.0) over the recent 5 years. Current (2009) estimates of total harvest, active hunters, and total hunter days afield were 22,600 ± 3,113 birds, 9,700 hunters, and 24,400 ± 3,112 days afield. Composition of harvest was 21.3% hatching year birds during the 2009 season. Current estimates of the age-related vulnerability to harvest for these populations are unavailable. Band-tailed pigeons are managed cooperatively by State wildlife agencies, British Columbia, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Canadian Wildlife Service. Their management is detailed in population-specific (Interior and Pacific Coast) management plans (Pacific Flyway Study Committee and Central Flyway Webless Migratory Game Bird Technical Committee 2001, Pacific Flyway Study Committee 1994). Maintenance of band-tailed pigeon populations in a healthy, productive state is a primary management goal. Management activities include population and harvest assessment, harvest regulation, and habitat management. Each year, counts of band-tailed pigeons heard and seen are conducted by state, provincial, federal, and other biologists in the western United States and British Columbia to monitor population status. The resulting information is used by wildlife administrators to set annual hunting regulations. DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE Band-tailed pigeons are divided into six subspecies, only two of which occur north of Mexico, and each occupies a disjunct geographic distribution in western North America: Pacific Coast and U.S. Interior (Fig. 1). The coastal subspecies (P. f. monilis) breeds from extreme southeastern Alaska and western British Columbia south into Washington, Oregon, California, and extreme western Nevada, primarily west of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges, into Baja California; and winters from central California into northern Baja California. Some in Mexico and southern California and the few wintering north of southern California may represent non-migratory population segments. The interior subspecies (P. f. fasciata) breeds from northern Colorado and eastcentral Utah south through Arizona, New Mexico, extreme western Texas into the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico; and winters from northern Mexico south to at least Michoacan. Some interchange occurs between races (Schroeder and Braun 1993). The primary purpose of this report is to facilitate the prompt distribution of timely information. Results are preliminary and may change with the inclusion of additional data. Little is known about the demographics of band-tailed pigeon populations because their habits and habitat make it impractical to locate and observe or trap an adequate Figure 1. Distribution of Pacific Coast (P. f. monilis) and Interior (P. f. fasciata) band-tailed pigeons in North America (after Braun et al. 1975). sample of birds. However, in the early 1970s the total population size was approximated at 2.9–7.1 million birds in the Pacific Coast region and <250,000 birds in the Interior region (estimated from harvest reports and band recovery rates, Braun 1994), which demonstrates the likely sizes and disparity between the two populations.