Behavioral Responses of Prairie Dogs to Drones in Urban and Rural Areas

Unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. drones) are used for a variety of applications including ecological research and wildlife surveys. As drones continue to become more widely used, it is important to understand how they influence wildlife behavior. More specifically, drones may influence the behavior of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) since they are active during daylight and are responsive to the presence of avian predators. We hypothesized that prairie dogs will react to drone flyovers by increasing vigilance behavior. We observed the responses of black-tailed prairie dogs to drone flyovers at an urban colony in Hutchinson, Kansas and rural colonies at Kanopolis Wildlife Area, Kansas and Stafford County, Kansas. We conducted observations of each colony in February - April 2021. During each observation, we monitored prairie dog vigilance in response to drone flyovers at various heights and speeds. In the urban colony, drone flyovers at greater heights (≈ 6 m) did not appear to increase vigilance of prairie dogs. However, drone flyovers at low heights (≈ 1.5 m) were associated with a slight increase in vigilance in the urban colony. In rural colonies, various combinations of drone flight speeds and heights elicited an increased vigilance response. Within the range of heights and speeds that we tested, drones appear to have an impact on prairie dog behavior in various landscape settings.