DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Raptor Biologist Jordan Brown holding a banded young kestrel, and an adult American kestrel./DNREC photo.

Delaware has received approximately $120,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration Program to support the study and preservation of the American kestrel, a species currently listed as endangered in Delaware and the smallest falcon in North America.

The American kestrel, a colorful falcon about the size of a mourning dove, has suffered a decline in population, specifically more than 93% in the Mid-Atlantic. These small but fierce airborne predators have the unique ability to turn into headwinds and hover in place while waiting to dive and capture its prey in mid-air. Scientists theorize their decline involves loss of suitable nesting habitat, pesticide accumulation, climate change and/or new diseases.

This funding facilitates critical conservation measures spearheaded by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, to include placing radio transmitters on the American kestrels this year and building 10 additional bird-monitoring radio towers that will join an international network to detect passing kestrels and other birds to further avian research in the First State.

“This is an exciting new development in our kestrel research,” said Raptor, Grassland and Forest Bird Biologist Jordan Brown with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. “We have received permission and funding to place nanotag radio transmitters on kestrels in 2024 to track their movements and survival, and we were also granted funding to build 10 additional Motus Wildlife Tracking System towers to increase detection of Delaware-tagged birds, as well as animals tagged elsewhere.”

The American kestrel was added to Delaware’s endangered list in 2013.

Starting in 2014 to better understand the decline, distribution and populations of these unique birds, DNREC’s Brandywine Zoo began installing kestrel nesting boxes statewide on private and public lands. In 2016, the Division of Fish and Wildlife joined forces with the Zoo and formed the Delaware Kestrel Partnership, which now monitors 79 nesting boxes. The boxes provide opportunities for Division biologists to study the timing and process of egg-laying and hatching, and to catch and band the parents and their young before they can fly. These bands, along with the Motus tags, will allow researchers to understand more about the movements and survivability of these birds.

To monitor American kestrels and other aerial species, Delaware currently has nine Motus radio towers in place across the state to capture data from passing tagged birds.

The first of the 10 new radio towers is slated for installation on Monday, Feb. 5 at the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center near Milford. Delaware Nature Society joined the Delaware Kestrel Partnership in 2017, and currently hosts nine of the kestrel boxes which have supported the successful hatching of 55 kestrel chicks over seven years. They are also donating radio tags to the Partnership to support this research.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife plans to install two more towers on state wildlife areas before spring. The remaining installations will be conducted at a later date, filling in gaps that exist in the current statewide tower network.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international network that uses automated radio telemetry to simultaneously track numerous aerial species. The system enables a worldwide community of researchers, educators, organizations and citizens to undertake impactful research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals over great distances. The stations are maintained by a community of researchers, organizations, non-profits, governments and individuals sharing a centralized database and management system that all participants use. The Motus towers in Delaware also provide data to researchers worldwide about birds, bats and insects.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov ; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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