American Kestrel Research Fund

KESTRELS NEED OUR HELP!

The American Kestrel, the U.S.'s smallest and most colorful falcon, is declining throughout North America. American Kestrels are not only beautiful, but are beneficial to humans through their consumption of insects and small rodents.



WHY WE'RE FUNDRAISING

Our team of expert scientists and supporters is trying to crack the mystery as to why we're losing these little raptors. This issue is so concerning that numerous groups have teamed up to solve this problem. Partners include The Peregrine Fund's American Kestrel Partnership, Boise State University, HawkWatch International, UCLA's Center for Tropical Research, First Solar, and Wild Lens.

Learn more from geneticist, Dr. Kristen Ruegg, about the research project and how genetic analysis may hold the key to saving Kestrels!

Learn more from American Kestrel Partnership Director, Dr. Chris McClure, about the research project and how his work is helping to solve the Kestrel decline mystery!

HOW THE RESEARCH WORKS

Our research team has been studying American Kestrel populations with the help of nest-box monitoring Citizen Scientists for years. While we don't know exactly why these birds are declining, we have discovered that they are much more migratory than previously believed. This project will enable us to gain a better understanding of where the birds are migrating and what threats they may encounter along their migration routes. 

The method we are using to identify populations of migratory birds at finer spatial scales than previously possible comes from a new genetic techinique developed by Dr. Ruegg and her colleagues.

This technique uses a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based method. Essentially this method allows researchers to collect genetic material from a feather of a bird being monitored at a nesting or banding site. That material allows Dr. Ruegg to create a map where she can identify where birds are when they grow that feather. 

By developing this connectivity map, our team will be able to identify the wintering grounds and migratory routes of declining breeding populations, test hypotheses about population change, and assess the impacts of climate change on the effectiveness of migration counts as a tool for monitoring raptor populations. 

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING BIG FOR OUR LITTLEST FALCON!

We need your help. We need to raise $40,000 to fund the research that will uncover information that will help answer the mystery.

We can't stop American Kestrel declines until we have an answer for why it's happening.

Please help us today! Your gift - no matter the size - will help to save a species! 

You can also help by sharing our campaign and encouraging your friends and families to join the effort!


View the press release  on the American Kestrel Research Project.