Record Details
Foraging ecology of prairie falcons in northern California
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Foraging ecology of prairie falcons in northern California |
| Names |
Haak, Bruce A.
(creator) Jarvis, Robert L. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1982-12-10 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1983 |
| Abstract | Nine Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus) were radio-tagged in northern California during the spring and summer of 1976 and 1977 to study foraging behavior. The mean home range size for 3 males was 227.8 km²; largest portions of the home range were used during the incubation period. Shifts in foraging areas and prey species were associated with the hatching of young falcons. Falcons flew a mean distance of 7.2 km from nest sites to foraging areas. The mean time falcons spent foraging per day was 1.4 hr. Mean attack distance between falcons and prey was 424 m. Males flew shorter attack distances and, on the average, made fewer foraging attempts than females. Three calculations yielded an average of about 3.0 foraging attempts per kill and, overall, 25% of all foraging attempts were successful. Falcons chose areas of low, sparse vegetation for foraging. Mammalian prey, specifically the Belding's ground squirrel (Spermophilus beldingi), predominated in the diet. Six methods of attacking prey were used by falcons but the low course flight was most frequently observed. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Falcons |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26909 |
