THE CONTINENTAL DECLINE OF AMERICAN KESTRELS: AN INVESTIGATION OF POSSIBLE DRIVERS AND FUTURE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Abstract | When one of North America’s most common raptor species begins to face unprecedented population declines across the continent, it may be indicative of underlying issues facing birds on a broader scale Thus, understanding the decline in American kestrel populations is of utmost importance not only to raptor biologists, but to avian conservationists in general. While many possible drivers of decline have been proposed, serious investigations involving several drivers across multiple geographic regions are lacking. To fill this gap, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary assembled a team of collaborators across the eastern flyway to study how environmental contaminants, habitat degradation, landscape change, loss of prey and intraguild predation may be impacting important population metrics such as survival and reproductive success. Using this data, researchers at Hawk Mountain will be able to model how these different drivers interact and influence the continental population decline. These models will then be available for recommending management strategies to improve conditions for American kestrels, and similar species facing declines, allowing their populations to recover and stabilize.

Bio | Mercy Melo is a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focusing on the decline of American Kestrels. Through her undergraduate studies, she conducted independent research on kestrel diet preferences, nestling development, and gut microbial diversity, inspiring her to continue her multifaceted study of the species in grad school Outside of kestrels, Mercy enjoys being connected with nature in any way including raptor banding, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and training her hunting dog, Timber.