Extreme events are more likely to affect the breeding success of lesser kestrels than average climate change.

ABSTRACT: Climate change is predicted to severely impact interactions between prey, predators and habitats. In Southern Europe, within the Mediterranean climate, herbaceous vegetation achieves its maximum growth in middle spring followed by a three-month dry summer, limiting prey availability for insectivorous birds. Lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) breed in a time-window that matches the nestling-rearing period with the peak abundance of grasshoppers and forecasted climate change may impact reproductive success through changes in prey availability and abundance. We used Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a surrogate of habitat quality and prey availability to investigate the impacts of forecasted climate change and extreme climatic events on lesser kestrel breeding performance. First,

SUBMITTER: Marcelino J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7190627 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature