Kestrel
| Common Kestrel | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Adult male Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Neornithes |
| Infraclass: | Neognathae |
| Superorder: | Neoaves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Genus: | Falco |
| Species: | F. tinnunculus |
| Binomial name | |
| Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Subspecies | |
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About 11, see text |
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 |
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| Western part of range of F. t. tinnunculus (also occurs in Siberia farther east) Yellow = breeding only, green = all-year |
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| Synonyms | |
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Falco rupicolus Daudin, 1800 (but see text) |
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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 brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".[1] The bird lives all over Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Contents |
Description [change]
Common Kestrels are 32–39 cm (13–15 in) from head to tail. Their wings are 65–82 cm (26–32 in) when spread out. Females are larger. They are small compared with other birds of prey, but larger than most songbirds. Like the other Falco species, they have long wings and a long tail.[2]
Their feathers are mainly light brown with black spots on the top and buff with narrow blackish streaks on the underside.[2]
Food and feeding [change]
When hunting, the Common Kestrel hovers about 10–20 m (c.30–70 ft) above the ground. Common Kestrels have very good eyesight. They can see small prey from a distance. Once they see the prey, the bird makes a short, steep dive. Common Kestrels eat nearly only mouse-sized mammals like voles. They also eat shrews and true mice. Small birds are also eaten, mostly in the summer when young birds are born. It also eats spiders and beetles when it finds them.[2]
Footnotes [change]
Other websites [change]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Falco tinnunculus |
Facts Status Description Range Habitat Biology Threats Conservation Find out more Glossary References View all
- Kestrels in Israel
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Text of the Hopkins poem
- Kestrel on-line 2012: Brest, Belarus
