NEST BOX PROGRAMS FOR AMERICAN KETRELS AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR RESEARCH AND

CONSERVATION

John A. Smallwood Montclair State University

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

Nest Boxes for Research and Conservation

Monitoring Populations

Chick Growth and Development

Operating Nest Box Programs

TALK OUTLINE

Birds of North America Smallwood & Bird 2002

T. Saunders

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

TALK OUTLINE

BREEDING BIRD SURVEY: 1966-2013

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

1975 1985 1995 2005 2015

Num

ber o

f Bird

s

Year

AUTUMN KESTREL COUNTS CAPE MAY: 1976-2016

Mean Count

5-Year RunningMean

WHY ARE KESTRELS DECLINING

IN NORTH AMERICA?

● West Nile Virus

www.msmosquito.com Data from CDC.

WHY ARE KESTRELS DECLINING

IN NORTH AMERICA?

● West Nile Virus

● Cooper’s Hawks

www.arlington.k12.va.us

USGS BREEDING BIRD SURVEY PHYSIOGRAPHIC STRATA

Kestrels

Cooper’s Hawks

r 2 = 0.379 P = 0.016

NAS CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

r 2 = 0.269 P = 0.093

WHY ARE KESTRELS DECLINING

IN NORTH AMERICA?

● West Nile Virus

● Cooper’s Hawks

● Habitat Loss and Degradation

WHY ARE KESTRELS DECLINING

IN NORTH AMERICA?

● West Nile Virus

● Cooper’s Hawks

● Habitat Loss and Degradation

● Pesticides and Pollutants

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

Nest Boxes for Research and Conservation

TALK OUTLINE

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

Nest Boxes for Research and Conservation

Monitoring Populations

TALK OUTLINE

0

10

20

30

40

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

Mea

n N

umbe

r of B

irds/

100

km2

Year

Experimental Control

P = 0.0004 P = 0.0245 P = 0.0274

P = 0.5438

P = 0.7072

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014

Num

ber o

f Pai

rs

Year

Pairs

3-Year Running Mean

KESTRELS BREEDING IN NEST BOXES IN NORTHWESTERN NEW JERSEY

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015

Num

ber o

f Bird

s/R

oute

Year

KESTREL COUNTS IN NEW JERSEY BREEDING BIRD SURVEY: 1966-2015

Mean Count

5-Year Running Mean

NEST BOX PROGRAMS FOR AMERICAN KESTRELS

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

Nest Boxes for Research and Conservation

Monitoring Populations

Chick Growth and Development

TALK OUTLINE

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Mea

n Bo

dy M

ass

(g)

Age (days)

GROWTH OF KESTREL CHICKS IN NEW JERSEY

Males

Females

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Mea

n Bo

dy M

ass

(g)

Age (days)

GROWTH OF MALE KESTREL CHICKS

New Jersey

Florida

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Mea

n Bo

dy M

ass

(g)

Age (days)

GROWTH OF FEMALE KESTREL CHICKS

New Jersey

Florida

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

KLEE

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

WHINE

KLEE

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 s

5

10

15

20kHz

WHINE

KLEE

CHITTER

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

DAY 0

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

DAY 0

DAY 6

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

DAY 0

DAY 6

DAY 12

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 s

2

4

6

8

10kHz

DAY 0

DAY 6

DAY 12

DAY 22

NOTE LENGTH

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21

AGE (days)

75

90

105

120

135

150

DURA

TION

(mse

c).

NOTE LENGTH

FREQUENCY OF MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21

AGE (days)

3

4

5

6

7FR

EQUE

NCY

(kHz

)

.FREQUENCEY OF MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE

HARMONIC FREQUENCIES

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21

AGE (days)

2

3

4

5

6

7

8NU

MBE

R

.NUMBER OF HARMONICS PER NOTE

Behavior and Ecology

Population Decline

Nest Boxes for Research and Conservation

Monitoring Populations

Chick Growth and Development

Operating Nest Box Programs

TALK OUTLINE

1 mile

1 mile

PATCH SIZE PATCH SIZE

>1000 ha

250-1000 ha

Title slide OPEN HABITAT WITH LOW GROUND COVER

PATCH SIZE (acres)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Neither (270) Male (19) Female (157) Both (20)

NES

TIN

G S

UCC

ESS

(%)

WHICH ADULTS WERE TAGGED

DOES WING TAGGING EFFECT NESTING SUCCESS IN KESTRELS?

χ2 = 11.6, df = 3, P = 0.009

0

20

40

60

80

100

Handled (29) Not (87) Handled (73) Not (285)ATTE

MPT

S TH

AT C

ON

TIN

UED

(%)

MALES FEMALES

DOES HANDLING ADULTS CAUSE ABANDONMENT IN KESTRELS?

Fisher’s Exact Test: P = 0.56 P = 0.52

0

20

40

60

80

100

Handled (29) Not (87) Handled (73) Not (285)

NES

TIN

G S

UCC

ESS

(%)

MALES FEMALES

DOES HANDLING ADULTS EFFECT NESTING SUCCESS IN KESTRELS?

χ2 = 0.28, df = 1, P = 0.60 χ2 = 0.01, df = 1, P = 0.92

0

20

40

60

80

100

Laying (10) Inc. (106) Laying (78) Inc. (280)ATTE

MPT

S TH

AT C

ON

TIN

UED

(%)

MALES FEMALES

IS THE TIMING OF HANDLING ADULTS RELATED TO ABANDONMENT IN KESTRELS?

χ2 (NA) χ2 = 2.47, df = 1, P = 0.12

0

20

40

60

80

100

Laying (10) Inc. (106) Laying (78) Inc. (280)

NES

TIN

G S

UCC

ESS

(%)

MALES FEMALES

IS THE TIMING OF HANDLING ADULTS RELATED TO NEST SUCCESS IN KESTRELS?

χ2 (NA) χ2 = 2.65, df = 1, P = 0.10

FUNDING The Ohio State University Archbold Biological Station University of Florida Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission Montclair State University

COLLABORATORS David M. Bird Valerie Dudajek Gary R. Bortolotti Kenneth Boyd Timothy F. Breen Mark E. Causey Michael W. Collopy Melissa A. Craddock Russell D. Dawson Gretchen I. Fowles Sivajini Gilchrist Jeffrey M. Jonas James R. Klusarits Mark J. Lesko Joey Mason Michael J. Maurer Richard J. Melvin David H. Mossop Christopher Natale John W. Parrish, Jr. Bob and Sue Robertson Mary Anne Smallwood Peter Winkler

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