Breeding habitat and nest site selection by an obligatory “nest-cleptoparasite”, the Amur Falcon Falco amurensis

The selection of a nest site is crucial for successful reproduction of birds. Animals which re-use or occupy nest sites constructed by other species often have limited choice. Little is known about the criteria of nest-stealing species to choose suitable nesting sites and habitats. Here, we analyze breeding site selection of an obligatory “nest-cleptoparasite”, the Amur Falcon Falco amurensis. We collected data on nest sites at Muraviovka Park in the Russian Far East, where the species breeds exclusively in nests of the Eurasian Magpie Pica pica. We sampled 117 Eurasian Magpie nests, 38 of which were occupied by Amur Falcons. Nest-specific variables were assessed and a recently developed habitat classification map was used to derive landscape metrics. We found that Amur Falcons chose a wide range of nesting sites, but significantly preferred nests with a domed roof. Breeding pairs of Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo and Eurasian Magpie were often found to breed near the nest in about the s..., Study area

Our study area, the Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use and its surroundings, is situated at the southern end of the Zeya-Bureya plain on the middle section of the Amur River in the Russian Far East (Fig. 2). The area stretches about 16 km from south to north and 11.5 km from east to west, covering an area of about 13289 ha. The valley of the Amur River and its first terraces ranges in altitudes from 105 to 348 m above sea level.

The landscape is dominated by wetlands (6346 ha) with Carex meyeriana, Carex lasiocarpa, Iris laevigata and Menyanthes trifoliata (Akhtymaov et al., 2002). Other land cover types include agricultural fields (480 ha) with changing crops from year to year such as soy and buckwheat and fallow fields (1392 ha). The forest islands (475 ha) contain species of Quercus mongolica, Betula dahurica and Lespedeza bicolor, reed (323 ha) with a dominant vegetation of Phragmites australis and shrubs (268 ha) comprising Corylus heterophylla, Salix bebbian...,