Multi-scale Patterns of Breeding Habitat Selection in Sandhill Cranes Across Canada’s Eastern Boreal Forest

Abstract

The boreal forest of Canada serves as a critical breeding ground for numerous waterbird species, including sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis). As sandhill cranes continue to expand their range in the boreal forest, it becomes increasingly important to identify habitat characteristics essential for breeding sandhill cranes for effective conservation and management. Limited research exists regarding the habitat dynamics of breeding sandhill cranes across this vast and remote landscape, necessitating research to understand spatial drivers of territory selection and habitat use in the boreal forest. Using high-resolution satellite telemetry data, we quantified the effects of land cover and land use on breeding habitat selection of sandhill cranes in the boreal forest of Ontario and Quebec, Canada across different scales: the landscape level (i.e., second order selection, which considers the overall landscape within which territories are established) and within the breeding range (i.e., third order selection, which focuses on specific habitat features selected within these territories). At the second order, or landscape level, sandhill cranes established breeding territories containing greater proportions of cropland, recently disturbed areas (e.g., forest cutblocks and burned areas), and wetlands. Sandhill cranes also selected territories with lower proportions of forest, open habitat, and water. At third order, or within their breeding ranges, sandhill cranes selected cropland, wetlands, recently disturbed areas, open habitat, and water, while avoiding forests and urban areas. Our findings suggest that current levels of anthropogenic disturbance do not negatively affect sandhill crane habitat selection, and that wetlands continue to play a crucial role in breeding habitat selection in the boreal forest. However, further research is required to explore the detailed impacts of forestry operations and the selection of recently disturbed areas on breeding behaviour and nest success in sandhill cranes. Our findings highlight the importance of using multi-scale approaches in habitat selection analyses that consider both broad ecological scales and the specific habitat requirements of individuals at the local scale. By comparing habitat use across both landscape and local scales, we demonstrate how sandhill cranes adapt their breeding habitat selection based on the availability and quality of different habitat types, allowing for robust inferences on the mechanisms that drive patterns of habitat selection both within their breeding territories and across the broader landscape. Collectively, this research contributes to the growing body of literature on breeding habitat selection of sandhill cranes, addressing important questions concerning patterns of habitat selection in response to a gradient of land cover and land uses classes in the boreal forest. Findings from this research can be applied to land management practices and assist managers when making inferences about sandhill crane habitat use in the boreal forest. Overall, this empirical approach can also be applied to a variety of species across diverse landscapes to assess how ecological processes differentiate across spatial scales and can support large-scale conservation efforts that ultimately benefits sandhill crane populations and biodiversity conservation in the boreal forest and beyond.