Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorSiegfried, Royen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorVan Zyl, Anthony Johnen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-25T16:58:35Z
dc.date.available2015-10-25T16:58:35Z
dc.date.issued1993en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliography.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractA study of the ecology of the Southern African Kestrel was made in two areas of differing topography in the Eastern Cape Province (32 °S) of South Africa. The main objectives of the study were to describe foraging parameters (behaviour-time budgets, hunting success and diet) and breeding parameters (clutch size, hatching and fledging success, nestling, fledging and post-fledging periods) of the Southern African Kestrel. These parameters were compared to those from studies made on the European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus) in western Europe (53 °N) in an environment which fluctuates relatively more than the South African study sites. Predictions concerning foraging and breeding ecology made by life-history theory in stable and fluctuating environments prompted the erection of the following hypotheses which were examined in this study. 1. Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in relatively stable environments have a more consistent but lower foraging yield than those breeding in fluctuating environments. 2. Common Kestrels in relatively stable environments have lower reproductive rates (longer incubation, nestling and post-fledgling dependence periods, later age at first breeding and longer life-span) than those in fluctuating environments. Southern African Kestrels spent different proportions of time of the two main hunting methods used, perch- and hover-hunting, than the European Kestrel. Perch-hunting was the predominant hunting method used by the Southern African Kestrel compared to hover-hunting in the European Kestrel. Southern African Kestrels had a higher prey-capture success for both hunting techniques. However, daily food intake was lower in Southern African Kestrels because a high proportion of the diet consisted of small invertebrates. Average clutch size was smaller in the Southern African Kestrel than that of the European Kestrel and Southern African Kestrels fledged on average fewer young. However, incubation, nestling and post-fledging periods were within the range recorded for the European Kestrel. The hypothesis that Common Kestrels in relatively stable environments have lower foraging yields is supported by this study. Although results from this study suggest that food yields are more consistent in stable environments, it was unable to evaluate this adequately. The hypothesis that reproductive rates are lower in relatively stable environments is partly supported in this study, but more data are required for parameters such as incubation and nestling periods to confirm such trends.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationVan Zyl, A. J. (1993). <i>Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14288en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationVan Zyl, Anthony John. <i>"Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14288en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationVan Zyl, A. 1993. Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Van Zyl, Anthony John AB - A study of the ecology of the Southern African Kestrel was made in two areas of differing topography in the Eastern Cape Province (32 °S) of South Africa. The main objectives of the study were to describe foraging parameters (behaviour-time budgets, hunting success and diet) and breeding parameters (clutch size, hatching and fledging success, nestling, fledging and post-fledging periods) of the Southern African Kestrel. These parameters were compared to those from studies made on the European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus) in western Europe (53 °N) in an environment which fluctuates relatively more than the South African study sites. Predictions concerning foraging and breeding ecology made by life-history theory in stable and fluctuating environments prompted the erection of the following hypotheses which were examined in this study. 1. Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in relatively stable environments have a more consistent but lower foraging yield than those breeding in fluctuating environments. 2. Common Kestrels in relatively stable environments have lower reproductive rates (longer incubation, nestling and post-fledgling dependence periods, later age at first breeding and longer life-span) than those in fluctuating environments. Southern African Kestrels spent different proportions of time of the two main hunting methods used, perch- and hover-hunting, than the European Kestrel. Perch-hunting was the predominant hunting method used by the Southern African Kestrel compared to hover-hunting in the European Kestrel. Southern African Kestrels had a higher prey-capture success for both hunting techniques. However, daily food intake was lower in Southern African Kestrels because a high proportion of the diet consisted of small invertebrates. Average clutch size was smaller in the Southern African Kestrel than that of the European Kestrel and Southern African Kestrels fledged on average fewer young. However, incubation, nestling and post-fledging periods were within the range recorded for the European Kestrel. The hypothesis that Common Kestrels in relatively stable environments have lower foraging yields is supported by this study. Although results from this study suggest that food yields are more consistent in stable environments, it was unable to evaluate this adequately. The hypothesis that reproductive rates are lower in relatively stable environments is partly supported in this study, but more data are required for parameters such as incubation and nestling periods to confirm such trends. DA - 1993 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1993 T1 - Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus TI - Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14288 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14288
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationVan Zyl AJ. Aspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolus. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, 1993 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14288en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentPercy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherOrnithologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherCommon Kestrelsen_ZA
dc.titleAspects of the foraging and breeding ecology of the Southern African Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus rupicolusen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_sci_1993_van_zyl_anthony_john.pdf
Size:
1.72 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters