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Keywords

shinnery oak acorns, scaled quail diet

Abstract

Shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) is a deciduous, low-growing shrubby tree that is a dominant plant in large areas of grassland in western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, and eastern New Mexico. Acorns of the plant are important food items for many wildlife species, including scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), and endangered lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). We analyzed the energy content of acorns of shinnery oak obtained from the crops of scaled quail collected from plains-mesa sand-scrub in Lea and Eddy counties, New Mexico. Acorns were removed from crops and dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and standardize masses. Acorns were then analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of acorns of shinnery oak from New Mexico averaged 15.8 J/kg (3.8 kcal/g— standard deviation, 0.5 J/kg [0.1 kcal/g]) and was lower than that of most other food items previously reported from the diet of scaled quail and other upland game birds from southeastern New Mexico.

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