Date of Award
6-30-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biology, MS
First Advisor
Thomas Risch
Committee Members
Travis Marsico; Virginie Rolland
Abstract
I observed the wintering foraging behaviors of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) to determine the efficiency of their foraging strategies in relation to prey density and patch-site characteristics. The three cover-types (i.e., short rice stubble, soybean stubble, and fallow areas and roadsides) differed in densities of small mammals and vegetation cover. Cover-type was the most important predictor for the probability of making an attempt at prey for both species with the greatest probability at attempting was in fallow roadsides. Perch-type only influenced the probability of being successful at capturing a prey item for Red-tailed hawks with the greatest probability from other and tree perches. The giving-up times were not influenced by cover-type for either species. A roadside survey conducted during 2012-13 showed both species significantly increased throughout the winter months and the abundance index of Red-tailed Hawks increased since last documented in 1996.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Bobowski, Melissa Marie, "The foraging behaviors and decision-making strategies of overwintering Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) in relation to prey density and patch-site characteristics in northeastern Arkansas" (2014). Student Theses and Dissertations. 819.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/819
