Abstract
Nest collapse has been documented in many bird species, with little discussion of adult behavior following collapse. We present evidence of a partial collapse of a Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) nest during the nestling period and the subsequent adult response. A nest camera captured the nest collapse and showed one adult Gyrfalcon holding a live nestling in its beak before leaving the nest. Later, we found the surviving nestling alive in an alternate nest 5 m from the original nest, presumably transported there by the adult. We believe this is the first report of an adult Gyrfalcon moving a nestling to a new location following nest disturbance. We place this observation into a context of Gyrfalcon nesting behavior described in published sources. The continued use of nest cameras may provide additional documentation and insight into this behavior and its prevalence in birds.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 216-221 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Wilson Journal of Ornithology |
| Volume | 129 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2017 |
Keywords
- Alaska
- Behavioral response
- Falco rusticolus
- Gyrfalcon
- Nest camera
- Nest collapse
- Nestling relocation