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 study in The Journal of Wildlife Management indicates that coating developing raven eggs with non-toxic mineral oil helps to protect sensitive prey populations by reducing raven reproduction.
Investigators found that egg-oiling—a management technique which stops the developing raven embryo from surviving without destroying the egg itself—reduces local raven numbers and improves nest survival and population growth of greater sage-grouse, one of the vulnerable prey species targeted by ravens.
“Applying egg oil to raven nests offers nesting sage-grouse some reprieve from nest predation. When raven nests were treated, sage-grouse nest survival more than doubled and relative abundances of sage-grouse increased by 44% compared with control populations,” said leading author Steven Mathews-Sanchez, PhD, who conducted this work while at the US Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center and who is currently a biologist for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Although highly effective at a local scale, egg oiling does not address the anthropogenic sources driving raven population growth, which must ultimately be addressed to protect sage-grouse and other sensitive species, nor does it address critical habitat required for sage-grouse to persist long-term.”
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.70247
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About the Journal
The Journal of Wildlife Management publishes original research contributing to fundamental wildlife science. Topics encompass biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats with implications for conservation or management. Published research covers habitat use, genetics, demographics, behavior, population ecology, human dimensions, and contemporary conservation issues. Our aim is to support wildlife practitioners. Our journal welcomes theoretical advancements, quantitative analyses, modeling, and reviews offering a new synthesis. The Journal of Wildlife Management is a journal by The Wildlife Society.
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The Journal of Wildlife Management
Effects of Oiling Common Raven Nests on Ravens and Greater Sage-Grouse in Sagebrush Ecosystems
5-Aug-2026