The "significant others" of American Kestrels: Cohabitation with arthropods

We examined the arthropod fauna that coexists in nest boxes with American K estrel chicks (Falco sparverius) in northwestern New Jersey. Of the seven a rthropod species present, five were scavenging beetles, including carrion b eetles (Silpha inaequalis), hister beetles (Atholus americanus and Pheliste r subrotundus), dermestid beetles (Dermestes caninus), and skin beetles (Tr ox foveicollis), which apparently were attracted to prey remains that accum ulated in the nest boxes. Arthropod density and species richness were signi ficantly greater for nest boxes in which kestrels bred than for unoccupied nest boxes.