The Mauritius Kestrel

Interesting Facts The Mauritius Kestrel females are slightly larger than the males In 1974, there were only 4 wild Mauritius kestrels in the world. Male and female kestrels have the same markings. The Mauritius kestrel is named after its original habitat, Mauritius island which is 704 miles west of Madagascar. Less than 3% of the remain original Mauritius kestrel’s habitat still remains.

Habitat This is a typical habitat for the Mauritius kestrel. Kestrels original habitat is a subtropical rainforest, but since they were losing their habitat dude to deforestation they were forced to move here.

Reproduction Females lay from 4 to 6 eggs in each clutch. Most females lay in November and December. Incubation period is usually 38 or 39 days, and the babies can mate next mating season(November and December). The Kestrel lives for 10 to 15 years. The young leave the nest around the first two months then leave but they stay in the parents area for the first year.

Diet The Mauritius kestrel is carnivorous, it eats mainly Phelsuma geckos, dragonflies, cicadas, and other small birds.

Predator/prey relationship They eat other animals and invasive species eat them such as cats, mongooses, and crab-eating Macaques, and their biggest enemy the black rat.

Consumer/producer? Bottom Level: Producer-grass First level: Consumer-mouse or gecko Second level: Consumer-Small bird Third level: Mauritius Kestrel

Human Threats/Interactions The main threat to the kestrels is deforestation the kestrels used to live in the subtropical rainforest of Mauritius but the humans cut down their habitat. In the kestrel’s habitat they like to find holes in the sides of mountains and hills to nest in and keep the young safe.

Biotic and Abiotic Factors Biotic- Italian Agile Frog Japanese dormouse Wren Weather earthstar Johnson grass Horse chestnut Abiotic- Water Sunlight Temperature Soil (dirt) Oxygen

Ability To adapt The Mauritius kestrel adapted to the degraded open area of North America after living in Mauritius in the subtropical climate.

Numbers at Present There are 400 Mauritius Kestrel.

Limiting Factors The biggest limiting Factor for the Mauritius kestrel is Space since human are cutting down their habitat. Mauritius

The Butterfly Effect The Mauritius is a “butterfly” species because if the kestrel died then all of is predators would go hungry and die and there would be an overpopulation of geckos and insects if there was nothing to eat them and then eventually there will be no animals and the humans will have nothing to eat except plants and the population will have to all become herbivores.

Bibliography All pictures from- "Mauritius Kestrel." ARKive. Wild Screen, n.d. Web. 28 Jan 2013http:// punctatus/ punctatus/ "Mauritius Kestrel." Red List. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan "Mauritius Kestrel." iNaturalist. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan