Bernice Wildlife Management Area is a wildlife management area located northeast of
Melita,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
It is in size.
History
Bernice Wildlife Management Area was established in 1974 under the Manitoba
Wildlife Act.
The WMA is in an area known locally as 'Poverty Plains'. Farming in the area was abandoned during the
drought in the 1930s and the land is now reclaimed for wildlife habitat.
Geography
The area lies southeast of
Bernice.
Its eastern boundary is adjacent to Corner Diamond Road.
There are no facilities for visitors.
It is within the Souris River Watershed.
Ecology
The area is within the
Oak Lake Ecodistrict within the
Aspen Parkland Ecoregion in the
Prairies Ecozone
The Prairies Ecozone is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone which spans the southern areas of the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. It is a productive agricultural area, and is commonly referred to as "Canada's breadbasket". Fa ...
.
Bird species found in the WMA include:
*
Sharp-tailed grouse
The sharp-tailed grouse (''Tympanuchus phasianellus''), also known as the sharptail or fire grouse, is a medium-sized prairie grouse. One of three species in the genus ''Tympanuchus'', the sharp-tailed grouse is found throughout Alaska, much of N ...
*
Ruffed grouse
The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only specie ...
*
Gray partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name i ...
*
Baird's sparrow
Baird's sparrow (''Centronyx bairdii'') is a species of North American birds in the family Passerellidae of order Passeriformes. It is a migratory bird native to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Description
The Baird's sparrow can be ident ...
*
Loggerhead shrike
The loggerhead shrike (''Lanius ludovicianus'') is a passerine bird in the family Laniidae. It is the only member of the shrike family endemic to North America; the related northern shrike (''L. borealis'') occurs north of its range, however it ...
*
Sprague's pipit
Sprague's pipit (''Anthus spragueii'') is a small songbird (passerine) in the family Motacillidae that breeds in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of North America. Migratory, it spends the winters in the southwestern United States and norther ...
*
Savannah sparrow
The Savannah sparrow (''Passerculus sandwichensis'') is a small New World sparrow. It was the only member of the genus '' Passerculus'' and is typically the only widely accepted member. Comparison of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3 sequ ...
*
Lark bunting
The lark bunting (''Calamospiza melanocorys'') is a medium-sized American sparrow native to central and western North America. It was designated the state bird of Colorado in 1931.
Taxonomy
The lark bunting was monotypic, the only member of the ...
*
Chestnut-collared longspur
The chestnut-collared longspur (''Calcarius ornatus'') is a species of bird in the family Calcariidae. Like the other longspurs, it is a small ground-feeding bird that primarily eats seeds. It breeds in prairie habitats in Canada and the northern ...
Mammal species found in the WMA include:
*
Short-tailed weasel
*
Red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
*
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...
*
Long-tailed weasel
The long-tailed weasel (''Neogale frenata''), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of Mustelidae, mustelid distributed from southern Canada throughout all the United States and Mexico, southward through all ...
*
Coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...
*
White-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
See also
*
List of wildlife management areas in Manitoba
This is a list of wildlife management areas in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Wildlife management areas are designated by the Government of Manitoba under The Wildlife Act. For a list of all protected areas in Manitoba, see the List of protec ...
*
List of protected areas of Manitoba
This list of protected areas of Manitoba groups the protected areas of Manitoba by the agency that is responsible for their protection.
National Protected Areas
Two national parks, overseen by Parks Canada, have been established within Mani ...
References
External links
iNaturalist: Bernice Wildlife Management Area
Protected areas established in 1974
Wildlife management areas of Manitoba
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