The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) population of both Harrison and Washington Townships, Delaware County, east-central Indiana, showed a decline from December, 1985 to March, 1986, stabilization, and then a rise in June and July, 1986. Surveys reflect a larger kestrel population in Harrison than in Washington Township. Sex ratios from December to July indicate a greater number of males than females in both townships. Pasture was the preferred habitat of both male and female birds. No correlation was found between numbers of kestrels sighted and weather conditions. Kestrels occupied two of six nest boxes in the area and fledged a total of ten young. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service data on 1,617 banded kestrels were analyzed. The independent effect of banding flyway on average distance traveled between banding and recovery was not significant. The independent effect of latitude was significant for the total study population of 1,617 kestrels but was not significant for a subsample of 213 birds which exhibited true migratory movement. Sex had no effect on distance traveled. The interaction of banding flyway and latitude on distance traveled was highly significant.

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A two generation laboratory study was conducted on a captive population of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) to investigate the possible teratogenic effects of the pesticide Dicofol. Paired females were exposed to three levels of Dicofol. Integrity of the reproductive tract of the resulting embryos were examined. Viable eggs were hatched and these birds were permitted to breed the following year. Breeding performance for these birds was measured based on their ability to form pair bonds and exhibit normal behaviour in the presence of a mate. Clutch completion, fertility, hatchability and number of hatchlings reared to fledging were used as reproductive parameters. Females dosed with 20 ppm Dicofol laid eggs that were significantly (p $<$ 0.05) thinner than eggs of control birds. Male embryos from dosed females were significantly (p $<$ 0.05) different from control chicks. Feminization was confirmed by the presence of primordial germ cells. Second generation adults showed altered reproductive parameters related to their parental dose groups. / Rank-order trials were conducted on second generation males based on parental dose levels to determine the aggressiveness of these individuals when placed in a competitive arena. Primary perch sites and food items were obtained by control birds significantly (p $<$ 0.05) more often than exposed males.

The storing of food is a common behaviour in the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius), a small, cavity-nesting falcon whose prey is comprised mainly of insects and small mammals. It may be a mechanism by which breeding birds ensure a sufficient food supply crucial to reproductive success. / In 1996, caching behaviour of 10 single females, 10 single males and 20 paired captive American kestrels was recorded over the breeding season at the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University. / Cache site preference and seasonal influence on caching frequencies were studied in 8 hand-raised, male kestrels in summer, fall and winter from 1996--1997. Caching frequency during the three seasons was significantly different with most occurring in fall, fewer in winter, and still fewer in summer. / Memory for locations of cached prey was tested in 7 hand-raised males, three days after a caching event, from July to September 1997. The birds located their own caches significantly better than those caches placed by the experimenter. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) - Trichinella pseudospiralis host-parasite association was used as a model to study the effect of infection on (1) mate choice of female kestrels and (2) competitive abilities of male kestrels. In 34 choice tests, female selection of infected or uninfected males was random. Male competitive abilities was assessed by observing interactions between infected and uninfected individuals in a pen with a caged female and a single nest box. In 8 of 11 trials, uninfected males spent more time in the section closest to the female than their infected rivals, and performed more chases, attacks, and displacements than the latter. These results suggest that variation in male quality is determined in part by resistance to parasitism and can affect competition for nesting territories. Females may not have evolved mechanisms to detect parasitized males because these males are unlikely to outcompete uninfected males when territories are in limited supply.

This study investigated the predatory behaviour of kestrels on insect prey in a modified open-field arena, and assessed the effects of T. pseudospiralis infections on the sequence of predatory behaviours, hunting efficiency and choice of hunting method of the birds. Choice of hunting method in kestrels was related to their appraise energy expenditure and relative success. Hunting from a perch was more common, presumably less strenuous and more successful than hunting afoot. Hunting prey confined to the vertical walls of the arena was considered more strenuous and was less successful than hunting freely-roaming ground prey. Infection with T. pseudospiralis did not affect attack rate or hunting success but altered the manner in which prey were taken. Thus, the frequency of strikes performed in level flight declined, and birds tended to hunt more on foot. In flight, the frequency of wing beats and the horizontal distance travelled to regain the elevated perch increased. Concordance was found between intensity of infection and magnitude of change in body weight and flight activities. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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