Radio Telemetry Reveals Two Cases of Predation on Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni)

Kiirsti C. Owen^1,2,*, K. Ruby Schweighardt², and Emily Peacock¹

¹University of New Brunswick, 3 Bailey Drive, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada. ²Acadia University, 15 University Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 30, Issue 2 (2023): N23–N30

Abstract
During a radio-tracking study of Ammospiza nelsoni (Nelson’s Sparrow) in Aulac, NB, Canada, in 2022, we observed 2 unexpected cases of predation. In the first case, we found the remains of a radio-tagged Nelson’s Sparrow inside a regurgitated pellet, which presumably was from an Asio flammeus (Short-eared Owl) or a Circus hudsonius (Northern Harrier). In another case, we found an adult female Nelson’s Sparrow and her nestlings buried in underground tunnels, likely having been depredated by a Mustela erminea (Short-tailed Weasel), an undocumented predator for Nelson’s Sparrow. These observations contribute to greater knowledge of predation of Nelson’s Sparrows and demonstrate an indirect benefit of tracking studies on wildlife.

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