Importance of the premigratory areas for the conservation of lesser kestrel: space use and habitat selection during the post‐fledging period

摘要: The conservation importance of the post-fledging period in migratory birds has been scarcely assessed. In this study, we examined space use and habitat selection radio-tagged lesser kestrels Falco naumanni at two spatial scales during summer north-western Spain, where premigratory aggregations around 1000 occur. Space was estimated by kernel accounting for spatiotemporal autocorrelation radio locations, analysed weighted compositional analysis intensity use. Kestrels moved within 9 km roosts daylight returned daily sunset to same roosts, exhibiting refuging behaviour. They foraged on average 3.7 km from roost an area 346.8 ha (home range), 92.7 ha which were used intensively (core area). Within these areas, more farmland than any land-scale habitat. farmland, significantly avoided irrigated crops. This avoidance seemed be due difficulty prey access and/or scarcity available. Conservation plans kestrel should include legally protecting sites maintaining dry systems communal roosts.