9 - Movement Ecology

Summary

Common kestrels are defined as partial migrants because they have variable migratory strategies over their geographic distribution, from obligate migrants in the north of Europe to more sedentary habits in central and southern regions. Migratory strategies are subject to a multiplicity of external and internal drivers, which are still not well understood. Many individual kestrels also disperse, rather than migrate, from the breeding or birth area. Dispersal distances are longer in females than in males and in yearlings than in older individuals. The dispersal is influenced by a number of factors, such as individual propensity and food availability. The deployment of GPS data-loggers and geolocators on kestrels will greatly improve our understanding of their movement ecology and help to discriminate between migration and dispersal.