Common Falco tinnunculus AKA: European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, Old World Kestrel, Windhover

Description Field Signs

These small of prey have light chestnut-brown plumage Call with heavy dark spots. They measure 31-39cm in length, have a wingspan of 65-82cm, and weigh 135-315g. have a shrill ‘kee-kee-kee’ call which is shorter than Hobby and calls. Males have a grey-blue head and a black band across the tail, whilst the females are all brown. Their beaks are grey and hooked with a black tip. Their eyes are dark brown with a yellow eye-ring, and their legs and feet are bright yellow. Similar species In flight they have long pointed wings. Juveniles are similar Hobby (Falco subbuteo) to adult females but more yellowish red-brown above with a more boldly streaked breast. Another small of prey, the hobby measures 33-38cm in length and has an 87 cm wingspan. It is slate-grey above Kestrels are frequently seen hovering over grasslands and are and pale below, with black streaks on the belly and rusty-red often spotted near to road verges. They spread their tail wide ‘trousers’. It has a grey-brown head, white throat and cheeks, like a fan when hovering. They are found in a wide variety of dark moustache and mask. The hooked bill is black and habitats including countryside to towns and villages. They yellow, whilst their wings are pointed. The hobby looks long nest in holes in trees, old buildings and abandoned crows and pointed in flight and is often compared to a large in nests, and lay 3-6 eggs which are smooth, white with brown the air being very agile and acrobatic. They are a migratory markings. species, coming to the UK in summer to breed, and wintering in tropical Africa. They are often found near wetland habitats as dragonflies are an important food source. What they eat

They eat mice, voles, shrews, small birds and invertebrates. (Falco columbarius) They specialise in catching voles and need to eat several a Merlin day to survive. Kestrels have excellent eyesight and can spot A very small bird of prey, around the size of a blackbird. They small prey from 50m away. They can also see ultraviolet light measure 25-31cm in length and have a 50-62cm wingspan. (invisible to the human eye) which means they can detect the Adult male merlins are blue-grey above, with a grey head and urine trails left by rodents on the ground. orangey-cream underparts that are streaked in black. Their tails are dark grey with a black terminal bar, and they have a white stripe above their eyes. Females are mainly grey-brown, Where and when to see them with dark streaking underneath. Their upper wings are more spotted than the males. Merlins have blunt tails and compact, � They can be seen all year round, from January to broad-based wings that are pointed at the tip; the adults’ December. legs and feet are yellow, but are more greenish in young individuals. Merlins nest on moorlands, and winter on coastal � Look out for them hovering over road verges, but also marshes and farmland in the lowlands. grasslands, farmland, uplands and urban areas.

Did you know? Legal status The old country name for kestrel is ‘windhover’. This is due to Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation their strong aerial agility and ability to hover in strong winds Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015). and keep its head still whilst tracking prey. Their tail forms a characteristic fan-shape to help them to do this.

www.livinglevels.org.uk/wild-watch Other links

� Hawk & Owl Trust https://hawkandowltrust.org/about-birds-of-prey/kestrel

� RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife- guides/bird-a-z/kestrel/

� The Wildlife Trusts https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/ birds-prey/kestrel

� Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and- wildlife/animals/birds/kestrel/

www.livinglevels.org.uk/wild-watch