Early Life Conditions and Immune Defense in Nestling Swainson's Hawks.

The quality of perinatal conditions directly influences the physical and immunological development of nestlings, yet it is inherently variable across space and time. Long-term breeding data for a population of Swainson's hawks () in northern California show a continuum of territory occupancy and productivity values of individual territories and nests. Here we explore effects of variation among territories on immune system development.