The Search for Yellow and Black-Billed Cuckoos at Seacross Ranch

At Seacross, we are always excited to open our doors to students and interns to come study at the ranch. Whether it’s rangeland management, soil science, or wildlife studies, we have hosted numerous students pursuing current research projects. This summer we had the pleasure of meeting Anna Kurtin, a Master’s student at University of Montana (UM), who is studying yellow-billed and black-billed cuckoos. As a part of a greater monitoring project, she was here to see if she could locate these birds. Earlier in May, the Montana Audubon spotted 5 cuckoos on the ranch, which is extremely rare to have all at one time. Anna heard about this and came to explore the property as well!

Because the cuckoos live in extremely remote and highly specialized locations, it is important to have effective monitoring methods to better protect them and their habitats. Anna’s thesis focuses on improving monitoring so that they can get more accurate numbers on the birds and where they live and migrate. Although neither species is endangered, certain populations are listed as threatened and are considered a “tipping point species” as their numbers are declining.

“By having a better understanding of the population and what they need to survive, more effective conservation practices can be implemented. By taking action now, we can keep these species from getting listed,” says Anna.

Traditional bird surveying methods involves sending a few people into the field 2-3 times a season to try and find the birds by playing recordings of their calls. Although this helps locate them, it does not provide the full picture of how many birds there actually are, nor does it differentiate between their preferred habitats for breeding versus migration stops. Additionally, there is always limited staffing and funding, so sending more people out more frequently is usually not an option.

Collaborators on the monitoring project developed a passive audio monitoring method where a researcher can go to the field once in May before breeding season and place a recording monitor in their habitat. It is then retrieved in August and analyzed for cuckoos and songbirds. Last year they collected over 7,000 hours of data, which gave a much better analysis of the birds’ locations throughout the summer and required much less staff time.

The second component of her thesis is determining the cuckoos’ ideal habitat. Typically they are more in the Northeast, New England, Midwest, and Southeast Canada in deciduous and more humid forests. But after hearing reports of them from citizen scientists in Montana and from the Audubon at Seacross, she wanted to know more about why they might be here. She is focusing on the Missouri and Yellowstone River, and is looking at cottonwood forests, pine and fir trees, and even sagebrush and willows. 

“Cuckoos move in May from winter to breeding range. I am here to see if Seacross was just a stop-over point, or if they stayed to breed.” says Anna. In her time at the ranch in end of July and August, she did not find any cuckoos, giving evidence that we might just be a stopping place on a migration journey. It is exciting to know that our habitat gives them food and shelter on their way to breeding grounds!

Anna also notes, “Seacross is incredibly conscious of the prairie health, and they make sure cattle are not tearing up creek and riparian areas. It is refreshing to see them promoting healthy grassland and stream systems.” Cattle management should foster a healthy grassland and maintain habitat for as many kinds of wildlife as possible. In her time here, Anna saw mice, weasels, black bear, and numerous other bird and animal species roaming the property.

“Most US land that wildlife lives on is private land, so it is up to land owners to be stewards of their habitat. Seacross makes me feel really hopeful for the future,” says Anna. The results from her project will help inform a long-term statewide monitoring project, which is a collaboration with the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and others. 

“The work I am doing here will impact the whole state and keep cuckoos here for a long, long time. Thank you to Mickey for being so welcoming, willing to work with me, and to show me around!” Anna said. We were happy to have her here and look forward to seeing her research continue.