Melo, M., J. M. Kolowski et al. 2025. Juvenile and adult survival estimates of American Kestrels throughout the full annual cycle in Eastern North America. Journal of Raptor Research.

• This paper, which was based partly on our data, found that survival of kestrel fledglings was much higher than previously expected and published. This indicates that low fledgling survival may not be a major cause of population decline. The results also suggest that winter survival is lower in Pennsylvania than in Florida, and that survival is lower in males than in females. Download the paper.

Coscia, J. T., J. B. C. Harris, D. Floyd, M. C. Beall, D. Bellangue, D. Chaney, J. Gorrell, E. Sackett, E. Staengl, J. L. Reid. 2024. Floristics of Virginia’s northern and central Piedmont grasslands. Vegetation Classification and Survey 5: 267-278.

• This paper demonstrates that unplanted Piedmont grasslands are the most species-rich plant communities in Virginia. We also found that 13 rare or threatened plant species are found in these habitats, and that these sites are being degraded each year. Download the paper.

Kolowski, J. M., C. Wolfer, M. McDaniels, A. Williams, and J. B. C. Harris. 2023. High-resolution GPS tracking of American Kestrels reveals breeding and post-breeding ranging behavior in northern Virginia, USA. Journal of Raptor Research 57:1–19.

• This is the first peer reviewed publication from our multiyear kestrel research. We found that kestrels have small, non-overlapping home ranges, they often make trips outside their home range, and several tracked birds established new home ranges in the region after breeding. Download the paper. Watch this video about the project, produced by Virginia Tech News.