The kestrel is one of our smallest and most common birds of prey. It can often be seen hovering above road verges, either beating its wings rapidly or using the wind for its support. Unfortunately, kestrels are declining due to habitat and food supply losses in the farmland areas and they are becoming less common everywhere.
The kestrel is only 32-35cm long, with a tail of 12-15cm and wingspan of 71-80cm. The kestrel is easy to recognise with its barred brown plumage, reddish back, pale under-parts, black cheek fl ashes and bar on the tail feathers. The male and female are almost alike, but the male has a blue-grey head, rump and tail, and the female has a brown barred head and tail. It has a good eye sight for spotting prey when hovering and strong claws for pinning it’s dinner to the ground.
The kestrel prefers the open country where its prey can be hunted from the air, such as farmland, heaths, marshes, uncultivated grassland, cliffs, coastal dunes, rivers and wooded valleys. However, it has also learnt to make good use of man-made habitats, such as town parks or roadside and motorway verges. It is usually seen on its own, hunting mainly during daylight, either hovering in the air or using a nearby perch, such as a telegraph pole, to search the area for prey.
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