Associated Press

BOISE – Boise State University researchers have been awarded a $1.7 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to monitor the effects of climate change on bird migration.

The researchers, led by biological sciences professor Julie Heath, will examine American kestrels and develop a modeling system to predict how other bird species will react to changes in weather patterns.

Heath said Monday in a prepared statement that the Department of Defense manages about 28 million acres of land, and the research work will help the federal agency properly manage the biodiversity on that land.

The four-year project will begin this summer.