Nest defence of urban and rural Common Kestrels Falco tinnunculus against different predators

ABSTRACT

Common Kestrels Falco tinnunculus breeding in a rural environment reacted more aggressively to dummies of potential predators than did those breeding in an urban environment. During the nestling phase, the Kestrels reacted more frequently than during the incubation phase and males reacted more often than females. The reactions to dummies partially reflected the distribution of predators in the urban and rural areas.

Acknowledgements

We thank all the residents who provided access to the Kestrel nests located on buildings. The project was approved by the Department of the Environment of the Czech Republic under permission No. MZP/2018/630/1212 according to law No. 246/1992 on the protection of animals against cruelty. We also thank Ingrid Steenbergen for language corrections.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).