Lab 3: Birds, Bats, and More…

American Kestrel: Habitat and Nesting

Environmental Issues w/ Dr. Dan Moscovici

By: Deanno Isom, Pat Williams,

Eric Becker, Chris Luzzi

 The American kestrel is both the smallest and most numerous falcon in North America
(Smallwood & Bird, 2002). Despite this, their numbers have been in decline in some areas as early as the
1940’s (Hoffman & Callopy, 1988) with one of the largest declines experienced from 1984 to 2007
(Sauer, J. R. et al., 2017). Most of this decline has taken place in the northeast and in studies done by
Smallwood et al. (2009), New Jersey showed the greatest decline compared to other states studied. This
same study showed New Jersey to have experienced the longest sustained growth rate of kestrels (8 year
growth) after the introduction of nesting boxes; suggesting that lack of nesting sites may be a large
contributor to their decline. Though the American kestrel may seem populous, their decline has been
significant having lost about 50% of the population between 1966 and 2015 according to the North
American Breeding Bird Survey. Proposals for decline include: limited nest sites, new competitive
species, habitat loss, West Nile virus, predation, and pesticides. In New Jersey kestrels are listed as
threatened but not federally. Tracking their population can be difficult as they respond to resource
availability and nesting cavities (Smallwood and Collopy, 1993). However, the North American breeding
population was estimated to be larger than 1.2 million pairs according to Cade (1982, as cited by
Smallwood, John A. and David M. Bird., 2002).
The American kestrel is an opportunistic hunter and feeds on various small prey, particularly
insects. They benefit greatly from open agricultural fields and grassy plots where insects can often be
spotted. American kestrels prey on a variety of species such as grasshoppers, lizards, mice, snakes and
other small birds. Kestrels can obtain most or all of their water needs from their food (Yeager, 2017).
Their range is seen throughout the Western Hemisphere from Alaska and Canada to the southernmost
parts of South America. Their territory range depends on available nesting sites and resources but
typically they have territories between 4.5 and 5.2 square kilometers (Palmer, 1988 as cited by Townes,
S., 2014). This is only for kestrels defending a breeding area otherwise they can tolerate nesting sites as
close as 0.5 miles apart.
An existing habitat for this species can be found on the Stockton farm
(Figure 1).
(Figure 1)
.

Photo of Stockton Farm, via Google Earth

Retrieved on 10/3/2017

There were a few aspects that were noteworthy: discoloration to the wood, a large split on the front of the
box and a few nails sticking out of the side of the box. After talking to Caitlin Clarke, and telling her that
we were looking at the American kestrel box, she said, “American Kestrels haven’t been nesting there,
we've actually seen Gold Crested Flycatchers using the box” (C. Clarke, personal communication, Oct 4
2017). Our location off of Pomona Road is ideal for the Kestrel. There are no trees located within the
field but it is surrounded by trees creating a natural barrier to minimize noise pollution from the road.
(Figure 2)

Field by Pomona road.

Retrieved 10/3/201, via Google Earth
GPS: 39.485101/-74.557529

This shows a close up view of the field with a inset that shows its position relative to Stockton's premises,
while (Figure 3)
 Map directions to proposed site
Retrieved 10/3/2017, via Google Earth

Length in Feet

This shows a more comprehensive view of field location and size. The American kestrel tends to rely on
pre-existing holes or cavities left from woodpeckers, natural tree hollows, rock crevices, nooks in
buildings and other manmade structures (Cornell, 2005). Kestrel habitat can be commonly found in an
open grassland. Nest box materials for the American kestrel include: cedar, cypress, redwood, or pine.
The nails and hinges should be rust proof or galvanized to resist rusting. The box should be located
anywhere from 10 to 30 feet in the air, placed on a post or tree (American Kestrel Partnership, 2017).
Nest box measurements that were included in the constructed object include: a 3” entrance hole, a depth
of 9 ¼”, a width and length of 9 1/4” by 16” (Minnesota Dep. of Nat. Resources, 1992). Our kestrel box
will be mounted to a conduit or a piece of (4x4) with 2 feet of the structure/foundation in the ground for
support. The nest box facing east/southeast for ideal sunlight and temperature and placed away from trees
in the middle of the field. This will allow Kestrels to have a clear runway to the nest box. Furthermore, a
nearby perch would benefit the Kestrels to find prey and limit their energy expense. A study showed that
kestrels may actually favor habitat that have perches to be more essential than habitat with short
vegetation (Sheffield et al. 2001). For the actual step by step installation refer to appendix (Image 1)
For the American kestrel the best time to monitor the nest box would be after the pair have
successfully laid their eggs and have hatched; around June/July. “Once the nest site has been selected and
the eggs have hatched then it becomes very unlikely that the parents would abandon their young” (M.
Coll, personal communication, Sep 29, 2017). Michael Coll, a preserve manager from “Natural Lands
Trust” clarified that “In both cases it is best to give the birds as much space as possible so that they don’t
feel like their nest site is being threatened by a predator- which could cause them to nest elsewhere”
(personal communication, Sep 29, 2017).
As far as how the nest are monitored traditional (opening the box) vs. video monitoring either
technique will be sufficient. A study conducted in Michigan found that Kestrels were tolerant of both nest
box cameras and traditional monitoring (Shave & Lindell, 2017). They concluded that there was no
significant difference of monitoring techniques to nest survival rates (Shave & Lindell, 2017). Therefore
it is plausible to record and capture footage of our American kestrel nest box without distressing the birds.
There are various ways that we could mount the nest box on Stockton’s campus.
Moreover, the two most common invasions of kestrel nest boxes are squirrels and the European starlings
both of which occupy Stockton's campuses. An effective and efficient way to deal with invasive squirrels
is to install a predator guard around the pole of the nest box (Image 2). One observation has shown that
kestrels will defend/take over a nest box from European Starlings (Mcclure et al. 2015). Unfortunately,
there is a limited amount that we can do to deter starlings from entering the nest box. It is mostly up to the
kestrel to exclude any bird that enters its nest box.
 Work Cited

American Kestrel Partnership: A Project of the Peregrine Fund. (n.d.). Build an American Kestrel Nest Box.
Retrieved September 28th, 2017, from
https://www.wildlifecenter.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/Nestbox/American%20Kestrel%20Nest%20Box%
20Plans.pdf

Butler, M. W., Whitman, B. A., & Dufty, A. M. (2009). Nest Box Temperature and Hatching Success of
American Kestrels Varies with Nest Box Orientation. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 121(4), 778-
782.

Heath, J. A., Steenhof, K., & Foster, M. A. (2012). Shorter migration distances associated with higher winter
temperatures suggest a mechanism for advancing nesting phenology of American kestrels Falco
sparverius. Journal of Avian Biology, 43(4), 376-384.

Mark L. Hoffman, & Collopy, M. (1988). Historical Status of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus) in
Florida. The Wilson Bulletin, 100(1), 91-107. Retrieved September 29, 2017, from
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.stockton.edu/stable/4162520

Mcclure, C. J., Hilleary, D. M., & Spurling, D. P. (2015). American Kestrels Actively Exclude European Starlings
from Using a Nest Box. Journal of Raptor Research, 49(2), 231-233.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. (1992). Kestrel, Owl, and Squirrel Nest Box. Retrieved September
28th, 2017, from
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ia/homeowner/?cid=nrcs142p2_008679.

Shave, M. E., & Lindell, C. A. (2017). American Kestrels Occupying Nest Boxes In Michigan Cherry Orchards
Show High Reproductive Rates and Tolerance of Monitoring. Journal of Raptor Research, 51(1), 50-60.

Sheffield, L. M., Crait, J. R., Edge, W. D., & Wang, G. (2001). Response of American kestrels and gray-tailed
voles to vegetation height and supplemental perches. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 79(3), 380-385.
Smallwood, John A. and David M. Bird.(2002).American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), The Birds of North America
(P. G. Rodewald, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America:
https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/amekes DOI: 10.2173/bna.602

Smallwood, J. A., Causey, M. F., Mossop, D. H., Klucsarits, J. R., Robertson, B., Robertson, S., . . . Boyd, K.
(2009, July 10). Why are American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Populations Declining in North America?
Evidence from Nest-Box Programs. Journal of Raptor Research, 43(4), 276. Retrieved September 21,
2017, from http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3356/JRR-08-83.1

Smallwood, J. A., & Collopy, M. W. (2009). Southeastern American Kestrels Respond to an Increase in the
Availability of Nest Cavities in North-Central Florida. Journal of Raptor Research, 43(4), 291-300.
https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-08-81.1

Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski, Jr, K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link. (2017).
The North American Breeding Bird Survey. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/

Townes, S. 2014. "Falco sparverius" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 29, 2017, from
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/accounts/Falco_sparverius/

Yeager, A.B., Brittingham, M.C. (August 14, 2017). Managing Habitat for American Kestrels. Retrieved
September 28th, 2017, from https://extension.psu.edu/managing-habitat-for-american-kestrels
 Appendix

(The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2005). All About Birds. Retrieved September 28th, 2017)
Image 1

(nestboxbuilder.com/nestbox-tutorial-mounting-box.html)
Image 2

(http://www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/GetInvolved/Pages/WildlifeHomePlans.aspx)