Habitat Suitability Index Models: Black-shouldered Kite

Faanes, Craig; Howard, Rebecca

The black-shouldered kite habitat suitability index (HSI) model is intended for use with the habitat evaluation procedures (HEP) developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1980) for impact assessment and habitat management. The model was developed from a revi ew and synthesis of existi ng information, and includes unpublished information that reflects the opinions of persons familiar with black-shouldered kite ecology. It is scaled to produce an index of habitat suitability between 0 (unsuitable habitat) and 1.0 (optimally suitable habitat). Assumptions used to develop the HSI model and guidelines for model application, including techniques for measuring model variables, are described. Model documentation is provided for several reasons. First, the documentation provides a means of explaining the model's structure and its inherent assumptions. Second, the model-building process involves considerable judgment on the part of the model builder, and documentation provides the insights necessary to modify the model when these judgments are inconsistent with local or new knowledge. Finally, the documentation should facilitate reformulation of the model to meet individual study constraints of time and human resources. This model is a hypothesis of species-habitat relations, not a statement of proven cause and effect. The model has not been field tested. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages model users to convey comments and suggestions that may help increase the utility and effectiveness of this habitat-based approach to fish and wildlife management.

Habitat Suitability Index Models: Black-shouldered Kite

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