Egg oiling offers a targeted way to reduce raven predation on vulnerable prey
Common ravens are intelligent omnivores that regularly consume the eggs and young of nesting birds, and their populations are boosted by human-provided food and nesting resources. This has resulted in elevated predation by ravens on many sensitive prey species, including greater sage-grouse.
A targeted method of reducing raven predation on vulnerable prey, such as greater sage-grouse, involves coating their developing eggs with nontoxic mineral oil. This management technique, known as egg oiling, prevents the embryo from surviving without harming the egg, thereby curbing raven reproduction. A study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management found that egg oiling led to a significant increase in sage-grouse nest survival and population growth.
Specifically, when raven nests were treated with egg oil, sage-grouse nest survival more than doubled, and the relative abundance of sage-grouse increased by 44% compared to control populations. Despite its effectiveness at a local scale, lead author Steven Mathews-Sanchez emphasized that egg oiling does not address the root causes of raven population growth, which are primarily human-induced, nor does it tackle the critical habitat requirements for sage-grouse to persist in the long term.
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