Perch and Habitat Use by Red-Tailed Hawks and American Kestrels along a Highway in Eastern Kansas

Abstract

Perch and habitat use of the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and American kestrel (Falco sparverius) were compared along Kansas route K254. A 32.2-km stretch of a two-lane highway was observed for two years. The location, time, perch characteristics and habitat were noted for each bird. There were 522 surveys that totaled 16,808 km in which 1711 redtailed hawk and 494 kestrel observations were recorded. Red-tailed hawks perched in pasture habitat and used poles and trees more often than American kestrels, which perched in agricultural habitat and used wires most often. When leaves were absent, red-tailed hawks used trees as perches more often than when leaves were present. When leaves were present, red-tailed hawks used agricultural and mixed habitats more often. American kestrels showed little change with presence or absence of leaves.