Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXV, Issue 1
Written by Stilyana YANEVA, Gradimir GRADEV, Tatyana BILEVA
Lesser Kestrel often nests in urban areas surrounded by agricultural areas. This makes the species largely dependent on human activity to availability of nesting places. The loss of natural nesting sites was one of the main reasons the species to become extinct in the late 20th century in Bulgaria. After it was recovered as a breeding species in country, one of the main goals of the expert is to make the colony stable. For implementation of these goals, it is necessary to provide a suitable nesting place for the species. Field studies show that the provision of artificial nest boxes for Lesser Kestrel resulted in increasing of numbers and strengthening existing colonies. There are different types of artificial nest boxes like: Classic wall, cavity wall, under-roof and etc. Conducting daily observations of the birds, the colony’s nesting territory was determined - concentrated around the Lesser Kestrel Release and Adaptation Module. In the past years large proportion of the Lesser Kestrel population in Bulgaria nested in artificial nest boxes thus proving that species easily occupies artificial nests designed for it.
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