Habitat
American badgers occur primarily in grasslands, parklands, farms, and other treeless areas with friable soil and a supply of rodent prey. They are also found in forest glades and meadows, marshes, brushy areas, hot deserts, and mountain meadows. They are sometimes found at elevations up to 12,000 feet (3,600 m) but are usually found in the Sonoran and Transition life zones (which are at elevations lower and warmer than those characterized by coniferous forests). In Arizona, they occur in desert scrub and semidesert grasslands. In California, American badgers are occasionally found in open chaparral (with less than 50% plant cover) and riparian zones. They are not usually found in mature chaparral. In Manitoba aspen parklands, American badger abundance was positively associated with the abundance of Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii).
American badger use of home range varies with season and sex. Different areas of the home range are used more frequently at different seasons and usually are related to prey availability. Males generally have larger home ranges than females. Radiotransmitter-tagged American badgers had an average annual home range of 2,100 acres (850 ha). The home range of one female was 1,790 acres (725 ha) in summer, 131 acres (53 ha) in fall, and 5 acres (2 ha) in winter. Lindzey reported average home ranges of 667 to 1,550 acres (270–627 ha).
Estimated density of American badgers in Utah scrub-steppe was one per square mile (2.6 km2), or 10 dens per square mile (assuming a single American badger has 10 dens in current or recent use).
The American badger in Ontario,is restricted primarily to the extreme southwestern portion of the province – largely along the north shore of Lake Erie in open areas generally associated with agriculture and woodland edges. There have been a few reports from the Bruce-Grey region. Additionally, although not recently, there have been reports from the southwestern portion of the province, adjacent to the Minnesota border.
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