American Kestrel Research Initiative
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American Kestrel Research Initiative
We study how American Kestrels live, hunt, and raise their young across California's natural and working landscapes. In collaboration with agricultural producers, land managers, and community partners, we explore how these small falcons respond to changing land use, how they may be impacted by climate change, and how farms and rangelands can best support both wildlife and food production.
Research Framework:
We examine how the leading threats to kestrels influence their reproductive success, population size, and ability to provide natural pest control services on California's working landscapes.
We are dedicated to mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, offering hands-on field and laboratory experience that builds technical skills and prepares them for careers in wildlife conservation and research.
Habitat & Land-use
This work helps inform ideal nest box placement by identifying habitats and local factors that best support kestrels and enhance the pest control services they provide.
How can working landscapes best support American Kestrels?
We study habitat selection, the choices kestrels make about where to nest and hunt, by monitoring nest box use and movement ecology.
We relate information about the surrounding landscape (types of farms and habitats) and local factors (presence of trees and hedgerows) to kestrel home range size, diet, and nest success.
By monitoring kestrels across different landscapes, we can link habitats and features related to favorable kestrel behavior and nest success.
Climate Change
This research helps inform management by identifying which habitats, local factors, and nest box designs buffer kestrels from extreme heat.
How do climate change and increasing heatwaves impact kestrels?
The increasing frequency and duration of extreme heatwaves can alter kestrel hunting patterns and the frequency and types of prey provided to nestlings. We investigate how adult kestrels adjust their behavior in these conditions by tracking their movement patterns in relation to temperature.
Using microclimate sensors inside nest boxes, we can inform placement and designs that minimize the impacts from extreme heat on nestlings.
Diet
Findings from this work identify pest management benefits from kestrels, guiding their use as a component of Integrated Pest Management in California’s farming systems.
How do kestrels contribute to pest management in working landscapes?
Kestrels have a wide breadth of diet, including insects, reptiles, songbirds, and rodents-- many of which can be agricultural pests. We collect environmental DNA using beak swabs to identify prey taxa and characterize prey diversity across seasons and regions.
By comparing diet composition, we can assess how habitat and land use conditions structure prey selection for hungry kestrels.
Toxicology
This research supports effective pest management strategies by understanding how chemical use impacts beneficial species.
Are kestrels exposed to environmental contaminants?
Our toxicology work investigates how chemical use may influence kestrel health and reproduction.
By understanding exposure trends, we can evaluate which compounds may pose the greatest risks to kestrels and how management practices relate to contaminant levels on the landscape.
Dispersal & Recruitment
This research helps managers understand how long kestrels stick around before dispersal, where they spend winters, and where they set up breeding territories.
What happens to kestrels after they fledge?
American Kestrels in California have mixed strategies when it comes to migration, some migrate long distances while others stick around all year. These behaviors may impact the pest control services from kestrels in different seasons and regions.
We are using the Motus wildlife tracking network, a system of receivers throughout the continent that can transmit a signal from a bird fitted with a small radio tag. By tracking kestrels across years, we can estimate dispersal distances, survival, and determine which individuals return as adults to breed.
