Where are Eurasian kestrels found?

How do kestrels find prey?

Like most birds of prey, common kestrels have keen eyesight enabling them to spot small prey from a distance. Once prey is sighted, the bird makes a short, steep dive toward the target. It can often be found hunting along the sides of roads and motorways.

Where do kestrels live in UK?

Kestrels are the second most common bird of prey in the UK, behind the buzzard. Where do kestrels live? Kestrels can be found across the UK in a variety of habitats. They tend to hunt in open spaces with long grass as this is prime field-vole habitat. The birds rarely venture far into woodland, but will nest and hunt along wood edges.

What is an Eurasian kestrel?

The Eurasian Kestrel is a bird of prey that is also referred to as the Common Kestrel. They belong to the Kestrel group in the Falcon family. Just like any other bird in the family, they have a hooked beak to help in tearing flesh from the prey they catch.

What is a rock kestrel?

The Sport of Falconry The Rock Kestrels (Falco rupicolus) – also known as Eurasian (Rock) Kestrels, Rhode’s Kestrels or South African Kestrels – are the most abundant of the small falcons found in southern Africa, where they are most common in the dry west and in the south. They appear to favor rocky terrains – hence this species’ common name.

Why do kestrels take birds more frequently in cities?

In towns they take birds more frequently because of lower availability of small mammals. A kestrel is capable of locating its prey at remarkable distances – it can see and catch a beetle 50 m from its perch. Kestrels need to eat 4-8 voles a day, depending on the time of the year and the amount of energy-consuming hover-hunting…

How do you identify a kestrel?

Kestrels can be easily identified by their hunting behaviour, hovering low over grassland in search of prey. Kestrels have keen eyesight enabling them to spot small prey from a distance. They are able to hover at a height of around 10 – 20 metres over open countryside.

What do kestrels eat in the wild?

Kestrels feed mainly on small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews, small birds as well as invertebrates such as worms, grasshoppers and beetles. They hunt their prey by hovering above before swooping down and catching it on the ground.

What kind of bird is a kestrel?

Kestrel At a glance The common kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey with pointed wings and a long tail. It is the second most numerous bird of prey in the UK after the buzzard, and is a familiar sight hovering beside roads and motorways or the edges of woodland as it searches for prey.

How do kestrels defend their territory?

Kestrels defend only a small territory immediately around the nest. The larger home range where the birds find most of their food is often partly shared with neighbouring pairs. The home range is at least 1 km square, but can be as large as 10 km square. Food availability and number of other kestrels in the area determine the size.

Do kestrels build their own nests?

Kestrels do not build their own nests, but use nests built by other species. Kestrels feed mainly on small mammals, such as voles, shrews, mice and birds as large as Starlings. However, kestrels are adaptable birds and will switch to invertebrates such as beetles, earthworms, grasshoppers or even snails.

What is the habitat of a kestrel?

Kestrels are found in a wide variety of habitats, from moor and heath, to farmland and urban areas. The only places they do not favour are dense forests, vast treeless wetlands and mountains. They are a familiar sight, hovering beside a motorway or other main road.

What is a kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)?

The Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called ‘the Kestrel’. The Kestrel is one of the most common birds of prey found in Britain.

What is a common kestrel?

The common kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In Britain, where no other kestrel species occurs, it is generally just called “the kestrel “. This species occurs over a large range.

Do kestrels fly in pairs?

Common kestrels are solitary birds and are seen in pairs only during the breeding season. They are diurnal hunters. When hunting, Common kestrels hover about 10-20 m (33-66 ft) above the ground, searching for prey, either by flying into the wind or by soaring using ridge lift.

What does a kestrel bird look like?

Common kestrels are mainly light chestnut brown in color with blackish spots on the upperside and buff with narrow blackish streaks on the underside; the remiges are also blackish. The males have fewer black spots and streaks and their cap and tail are blue-grey.

What are the characteristics of a kestrel bird?

Kestrel Bird. 1 Kestrel Description. Kestrels measure 34 – 38 centimetres (13 – 15 inches) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 70 – 80 centimetres (27 – 31 inches). 2 Kestrel Habitats. 3 Kestrel Diet. 4 Kestrel Behaviour. 5 Kestrel Reproduction. More items

What makes a kestrel so special?

The kestrel has the ability to keep its head still while it hovers – even in strong winds – helping it to pinpoint its prey by sight. As a charity we rely on memberships.

Do kestrels build nests?

The kestrel is a common sight along woodland edges, using its razor-sharp vision to catch unsuspecting prey. They have a signature hovering technique when hunting. Kestrels do not build their own nests. Kestrels are common and widespread throughout the UK. The kestrel population has fallen significantly since 1970.

How do kestrels find their prey?

Kestrels can often be found hunting along the sides of roads and motorways. Kestrels also frequently use pylons or telegraph poles as vantage points to spot prey, saving themselves the effort of hovering. Kestrels are bold and have adapted well to human encroachment, nesting in buildings and hunting by major roads.

Are kestrels on the Amber List?

Kestrels are a familiar sight with their pointed wings and long tail, hovering beside a roadside verge. Numbers of kestrels declined in the 1970s, probably as a result of changes in farming and so it is included on the Amber List.

What does a kestrel look like?

At a glance The common kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey with pointed wings and a long tail. It is the second most numerous bird of prey in the UK after the buzzard, and is a familiar sight hovering beside roads and motorways or the edges of woodland as it searches for prey.

Do kestrels kill barn owls?

Kestrels will sometimes ‘mug’ barn owls, using their speed to steal voles that have been killed by the larger bird. What do kestrels eat? The kestrel is a vole specialist, with the field vole accounting for the majority of its diet. It will also take mice and shrews, as well as small birds and occasionally worms and insects.

When do kestrels mate?

It is a time of display, courtship and pair formation. Although kestrels mature when they are a year old, many do not manage to secure a mate and a breeding territory until their second year. Kestrels defend only a small territory immediately around the nest.