American Kestrels Occupying Nest Boxes In Michigan Cherry Orchards Show High Reproductive Rates and Tolerance of Monitoring

Shave, Megan E.; Lindell, Catherine A.

doi:10.3356/jrr-16-43.1

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Kestrel nest boxes have been present on utility poles in this region since the late 1980s (F. Otto, personal communication); 24 of these older boxes remained intact during this study. We installed a total of 23 new boxes (described in [ 30 ]) in cherry orchards during this study: 8 prior to the 2013 season, 10 prior to the 2014 season, and 5 prior to the 2016 season ( Fig 1 ). During the 2013–2015 breeding seasons, kestrels used 93% of the available new boxes and showed 91% nesting success, with a mean of 4.0 ± 0.2 fledglings produced per nest [ 30 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupancy modeling reveals territory-level effects of nest boxes on the presence, colonization, and persistence of a declining raptor in a fruit-growing region

Shave

Lindell

2017

PLoS ONE

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Nest boxes for predators in agricultural regions are an easily implemented tool to improve local habitat quality with potential benefits for both conservation and agriculture. The potential for nest boxes to increase raptor populations in agricultural regions is of particular interest given their positions as top predators. This study examined the effects of cherry orchard nest boxes on the local breeding population of a declining species, the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), in a fruit-growing region of Michigan. During the 2013–2016 study, we added a total of 23 new nest boxes in addition to 24 intact boxes installed previously; kestrels used up to 100% of our new boxes each season. We conducted temporally-replicated surveys along four roadside transects divided into 1.6 km × 500 m sites. We developed a multi-season occupancy model under a Bayesian framework and found that nest boxes had strong positive effects on first-year site occupancy, site colonization, and site persistence probabilities. The estimated number of occupied sites increased between 2013 and 2016, which correlated with the increase in number of sites with boxes. Kestrel detections decreased with survey date but were not affected by time of day or activity at the boxes themselves. These results indicate that nest boxes determined the presence of kestrels at our study sites and support the conclusion that the local kestrel population is likely limited by nest site availability. Furthermore, our results are highly relevant to the farmers on whose properties the boxes were installed, for we can conclude that installing a nest box in an orchard resulted in a high probability of kestrels occupying that orchard or the areas adjacent to it.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupancy modeling reveals territory-level effects of nest boxes on the presence, colonization, and persistence of a declining raptor in a fruit-growing region

Shave

Lindell

2017

PLoS ONE

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“…Our bird survey results, combined with the high kestrel reproductive rates observed for boxes in the study region (Shave & Lindell, 2017a) regulating ecosystem services while also sustaining or increasing the local kestrel breeding population (Shave & Lindell, 2017b). Kestrel presence was particularly valuable in deterring fruit-eating birds in sweet cherry orchards and also significantly reduced fruit-eating bird abundance in tart cherries.…”

Section: Con Clus Ionsmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…We conducted this study in eastern Leelanau County, MI, an important US fruit‐growing region that is predominantly agricultural with some residential and forested areas (USDA Census of Agriculture, ). Between 2012 and 2016, we installed 25 new boxes within or next to cherry orchards (Figure ; Shave & Lindell, ). Kestrels quickly occupied these new boxes and showed high reproductive rates (Shave & Lindell, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between 2012 and 2016, we installed 25 new boxes within or next to cherry orchards (Figure ; Shave & Lindell, ). Kestrels quickly occupied these new boxes and showed high reproductive rates (Shave & Lindell, ). In 2015, we randomly chose five orchards with active kestrel nest boxes for installation of artificial perches (see Appendix for details on perch installation and use).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Falcons using orchard nest boxes reduce fruit‐eating bird abundances and provide economic benefits for a fruit‐growing region

Shave

Shwiff

Elser

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Suppression of pest species via a native predator is a regulating ecosystem service that has the potential to limit crop damage and produce economic benefits. American kestrels Falco sparverius are widespread, highly mobile, generalist predators that hunt in human‐dominated habitats and have the potential to provide previously undocumented ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. We hypothesized that kestrel activity associated with nest boxes and artificial perches acts to increase perceived predation risk that, in combination with direct predation, can reduce fruit‐eating bird abundances in orchards. We used counts and observations of fruit‐eating birds from fixed‐width transect surveys to investigate variation in bird abundances and to estimate sweet cherry loss in cherry orchards with and without active kestrel boxes. We also conducted a benefit–cost analysis of nest box installation and used regional economic modelling to estimate macroeconomic impacts of increased sweet cherry production in Michigan, an important US fruit production region. Fruit‐eating bird counts were significantly lower at orchards with active kestrel boxes. Although kestrels used the perches in young orchard blocks and may benefit from them, the presence of perches did not have a significant effect on bird counts. Benefit–cost ratios for kestrel nest boxes indicated that for every dollar spent on nest boxes, $84 to $357 of sweet cherries would be saved from fruit‐eating birds. Regional economic modelling predicted that increased sweet cherry production from reduced bird damage would result in 46–50 jobs created and $2.2 million to $2.4 million in increased income for the state of Michigan over a 5‐year period. Synthesis and applications. Kestrel nest boxes in sweet cherry orchards provide a highly cost‐effective ecosystem service with potential reverberating benefits for a regional economy. Box occupancy rates will undoubtedly vary across landscapes and regions. However, costs to install and maintain boxes are small and, even if box occupancy rates are low, boxes can direct kestrel activity to particular places in agricultural landscapes where they can deter pest birds. Thus, the potential benefits for fruit crops greatly outweigh the costs of this pest management strategy.

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“…This pattern suggests that migration and dispersal distances may be positively correlated. Kestrels frequently nest near agricultural areas that are open landscapes suitable for hover hunting and have high abundances of prey species like small mammals and insects (Shave & Lindell, 2017;Smallwood, 1987;Smallwood, Winkler, Fowles, & Craddock, 2009;Touihri, Séguy, Imbeau, Mazerolle, & Bird, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

McCaslin

Caughlin

Heath

2020

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Dispersal is a critical process influencing population dynamics and responses to global change. Long‐distance dispersal (LDD) can be especially important for gene flow and adaptability, although little is known about the factors influencing LDD because studying large‐scale movements is challenging and LDD tends to be observed less frequently than shorter‐distance dispersal (SDD). We sought to understand patterns of natal dispersal at a large scale, specifically aiming to understand the relative frequency of LDD compared to SDD and correlates of dispersal distances. We used bird banding and encounter data for American kestrels (Falco sparverius) to investigate the effects of sex, migration strategy, population density, weather, year and agricultural land cover on LDD frequency, LDD distance and SDD distance in North America from 1961 to 2015. Nearly half of all natal dispersal (48.9%) was LDD (classified as >30 km), and the likelihood of LDD was positively associated with the proportion of agricultural land cover around natal sites. Correlates of distance differed between LDD and SDD movements. LDD distance was positively correlated with latitude, a proxy for migration strategy, suggesting that migratory individuals disperse farther than residents. Distance of LDD in males was positively associated with maximum summer temperature. We did not find sex‐bias or an effect of population density in LDD distance or frequency. Within SDD, females tended to disperse farther than males, and distance was positively correlated with density. Sampling affected all responses, likely because local studies more frequently capture SDD within study areas. Our findings that LDD occurs at a relatively high frequency and is related to different proximate factors from SDD, including a lack of sex‐bias in LDD, suggest that LDD may be more common than previously reported, and LDD and SDD may be distinct processes rather than two outcomes originating from a single dispersal distribution. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that LDD and SDD may be separate processes in an avian species, and suggests that environmental change may have different outcomes on the two processes.

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American Kestrels Occupying Nest Boxes In Michigan Cherry Orchards Show High Reproductive Rates and Tolerance of Monitoring

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Occupancy modeling reveals territory-level effects of nest boxes on the presence, colonization, and persistence of a declining raptor in a fruit-growing region

Occupancy modeling reveals territory-level effects of nest boxes on the presence, colonization, and persistence of a declining raptor in a fruit-growing region

Falcons using orchard nest boxes reduce fruit‐eating bird abundances and provide economic benefits for a fruit‐growing region

Long‐distance natal dispersal is relatively frequent and correlated with environmental factors in a widespread raptor

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