Publications (Project)

The NWRC North Dakota Field Station, under the direction of Dr. George Linz (1989-2015) has a long history of investigating blackbird biology, evaluating management tools, and making connections to the impact on agriculture and human health. Please reference the highlighted publications for a background to the NWRC project. 

Linz GM, ML Avery, RA Dolbeer (Eds.) 2017. Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America. CRC Press Taylor & Francis.

Linz GM, HJ Homan, SJ Werner, HM Hagy, WJ Bleier. 2011. Assessment of bird-management strategies to protect sunflowers. BioScience 61(12):960-970. 

Linz GM, EH Bucher, SB Canavelli, ER, ML Avery. 2015. Limitations of population suppression for protecting crops from bird depredation: A review. Crop Protection 76:46-52.

Please reference the highlighted publications for recent work in the NWRC Birds and Agriculture project. 

1. Duttenhefner JL, AA ElSaid, PE Klug. 2025. Machine learning to detect, classify, and count blackbirds damaging agriculture using drone-based imagery: Supporting AI-driven automation for deployment of damage management tools. Ecological Informatics (Revisions submitted).
2. White MG, JL Duttenhefner, PE Klug. 2024. Establishing protocols to apply repellents while hazing crop pests: Importance of habitat, flock size, and time on blackbird (Icteridae) responses to a drone capable of spraying. Wildlife Research 52:WR24066. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR24066
3. Duttenhefner JL, PE Klug. 2025. Observer estimation accuracy from drone-based imagery influenced by the size of blackbird flocks foraging in sunflower. Wilson Journal of Ornithology . https://doi.org/10.1080/15594491.2024.2444028

4. Duttenhefner JL, TJ Greives, PE Klug. 2024. Spraying drones: Efficacy of applying an avian repellent to elicit blackbird flock dispersion in commercial sunflower fields. Wildlife Biology 2024:e01333 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wlb3.01333/abstract) 
5. Duttenhefner JL, PE Klug. 2024. Effective range of auditory frightening devices based on hearing capabilities and antipredator responses of nuisance blackbirds. Wildlife Society Bulletin 48:e1549 (https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1549)

6. Manz ST, KE Sieving, RN Brown, PE Klug, BM Kluever. 2023. Experimental Assessment of Laser Scarecrows for Reducing Avian Damage to Sweet Corn. Pest Management Science 78:1547-1556.  https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7888 
7. Hess, SC, CJ Anderson, EA Tillman, WP Bukoski, LA Brennan, AB Shiels, PE Klug, SR Siers, BM Kluever. 2023. Prospects for Using Bird Feeders to Deliver Chemical Control Products to Invasive Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in Hawai‘i. Pacific Science 77:111-123. https://doi.org/10.2984/77.1.7 
8. Egan CE, BF Blackwell, E Fernández-Juricic, PE Klug. 2023. Dispersal of blackbird flocks from sunflower fields: efficacy influenced by flock and field size but not drone platform. Wildlife Society Bulletin 47:e1478.  https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1478
9. Anderson CJ, EA Tillman, WP Bukoski, SC Hess, LA Brennan, PE Klug, BM Kluever. 2023. A Novel Parakeet-Selective Feeder for Control of Invasive Psittacines. Wildlife Society Bulletin 47:e1483.  https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1483 
10. Anderson CJ, LA Brennan, WP Bukoski, SC Hess, CD Hilton, AB Shiels, SR Siers, BM Kluever, PE Klug. 2023. Evaluation of Roost Culling as a Management Strategy for Reducing Invasive Rose-Ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) Populations. Biological Invasions 25:1403–1419.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02984-3

11. Klug PE, AB Shiels, BM Kluever, CJ Anderson, SC Hess, EW Ruell, WP Bukoski, SR Siers. 2022. A review of control tools for managing the damage of invasive birds to human assets and economic activities. Management of Biological Invasions 14:1-44. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2023.14.1.01
12. Blackwell BF, PE Klug, LA Humberg, ZT Brym, BM Kluever, J Edwards. 2022 . Cultivation of industrial hemp on and near airports: implications for wildlife use and risk to aviation safety. Human-Wildlife Interactions 16:373–383. https://doi.org/10.26077/9721-9c7d 
13. Kotten EA, I Hennessy, Z Brym, BM Kluever, BF Blackwell, LA Humberg, PE Klug. 2022. Industrial Hemp as a Resource for Birds in Agroecosystems: Human-Wildlife Conflict or Conservation Opportunity? Human-Wildlife Interactions 16:384-398. https://doi.org/10.26077/c340-6745.

14. Eshleman, MA, PE Klug, E Morales-Vega, B Wissel, TJ Greives. 2021. Relationship between reproductive hormones and migration distance in a polygynous songbird, the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Journal of Ornithology 163:425–436. 
15. Stonefish D., MA Eshleman, GM Linz, HJ Homan, PE Klug, TJ Greives, EH Gillam. 2021. Migration routes and wintering areas of male Red-winged Blackbirds as determined using geolocators. Journal of Field Ornithology 92(3):284–293.
16. Sausse C, A Baux, M Bertrand, E Bonnaud, S Canavelli, A Destrez, PE Klug, L Olivera, E Rodriguez, G Tellechea, S Zuil. 2021. Contemporary challenges and opportunities for the management of bird damage a field crop establishment Crop Protection 148:105736. 
17. Werrell AK, PE Klug, RN Lipcius, JP Swaddle, J.P., 2021. A Sonic Net reduces damage to sunflower by blackbirds (Icteridae): implications for broad-scale agriculture and crop establishment. Crop Protection 144:105579.
18. Kaiser BA, MH Ostlie, B Johnson, SJ Werner, PE Klug. 2021. Inefficiency of anthraquinone-based avian repellents when applied to sunflower: the importance of crop vegetative and floral characteristics in field applications. Pest Management Science 77:1502-1511.

19. Clark BA, PE Klug, PM Stepanian, JF Kelly. 2020. Using bioenergetics and radar-derived bird abundance to assess the impact of a blackbird roost on seasonal sunflower damage. Human–Wildlife Interactions 14(3):427-441.
20. Klug, PE. 2020. Pest Management – Birds. In H Kandel, G Endres, R Buetow (Eds.), Sunflower Production Guide. North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and North Dakota State University Extension, North Dakota State University, pp 130-135. Fargo, North Dakota, USA. Sunflower Production Guide (A1995) (ndsu.edu)
21. Klug PE, HJ Homan. 2020. Movement behavior of radio-tagged European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in urban, rural, and exurban landscapes. Human–Wildlife Interactions 14(3):398-408.
22. Shiels AB, PE Klug, BM Kluever, SR Siers. 2020. Rose-ringed Parakeets in California: Established Populations and Potentially a Serious Agricultural Threat. In Proceedings of the 29th Vertebrate Pest Conference. Ed. DM Woods, University of California. Davis, California USA. Paper No. 43, pp 5.
23. Egan CC, BF Blackwell, E Fernández-Juricic, PE Klug. 2020. Testing a key assumption of using drones as frightening devices: Do birds perceive wildlife-monitoring drones as risky? Condor 122:1-15.  http://doi:10.1093/condor/duaa014

24. Klug PE, WP Bukoski, AB Shiels, BM Kluever, SR Siers. 2019. Rose-ringed Parakeets. US Department of Agriculture, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series. pp 1-16.
25. Klug PE, HJ Homan, BD Peer, GM Linz. 2019. Flight Feather Molt in Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 131(4):1-10
26. Bansal S, SC Lishawa, S Newman, BA Tangen, D Wilcox, D Albert, MJ Anteau, M Chimney, RL Cressey, ES DeKeyser, KJ Elgersma, SA Finkelstein, JR Freeland, R Grosshans, PE Klug, DJ Larkin, BA Lawrence, GM Linz, JE Marburger, GB Noe, CRV Otto, NJ Reo, JH Richards, CJ Richardson, L Rodgers, AJ Schrank, WD Svedarsky, SE Travis, NC Tuchman, A van der Valk, L Windham-Meyer. 2019. Typha (cattail) Invasion in North American Wetlands: Biology, Regional Problems, Impacts, Ecosystem Services, and Management. Wetlands 39:645-684.
27. Wandrie LJ, PE Klug, ME Clark. 2019. Evaluation of two unmanned aircraft systems as tools for protecting crops from blackbird damage. Crop Protection 117:15-19 

28. Klug PE, WP Bukoski, AB Shiels, BM Kluever, SR Siers. 2018. Critical review of potential control tools for reducing damage by the invasive Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) on the Hawaiian Islands. Unpublished Final Report QA-2836. USDA-APHIS-WS NWRC. Fort Collins, CO. 52 pp. 
29. Mahoney JL, PE Klug, WL Reed. 2018 An assessment of U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery plans: using physiology to support conservation. Conservation Physiology 6:10.1093/conphys/coy036.