Habitat utilization, diet and reproductive success in the Kestrel in a temporally and spatially heterogeneous environment

Abstract

Both habitat selection and foraging theory suggest that animals should choose environments in which their reproductive success is maximized and survival costs are minimized. We examined the habitats selected for foraging by Kestrels Falco tinnunculus breeding in western Finland during 1989-1991 and related this to prey availability and the breeding success. Voles (Microtus epiroticus and M. agrestis) were the main prey of Kestrels in our study area. Voles went through a three year population cycle, with a crash in 1989, a low in 1990 and an increase in 1991. We found considerable variation among years in the use of the main habitat, agricultural fields . Kestrels hunted mainly over fields in 1989 and 1991, whereas in 1990 they hunted mostly over forests and marshland. The proportion of agricultural fields used as hunting habitat remained constant throughout the breeding season, except in 1989 when vole populations crashed and falcons shifted to hunt away from fields . Overall, reproductive success seemed to be better in small farmland areas (size 0.1-10 km2) than in a large farmland area (100 km2). We conclude that small farmland areas contained suitable habitats for alternative prey (bank voles, shrews, small birds, lizards, insects, etc.) . Small farmland areas are thus probably more stable environments for Kestrels, because even in years of few Microtus voles in agricultural fields there are favourable food patches closer to the nests than in the large farmland area .