Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

AKA: European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, Old World Kestrel, Windhover

These small birds of prey have light chestnut-brown plumage with heavy dark spots. They measure 31-39cm in length, have a wingspan of 65-82cm, and weigh 135-315g.

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. In flight they have long pointed wings. Juveniles are similar to adult females but more yellowish red-brown above with a more boldly streaked breast.

Kestrels are frequently seen hovering over grasslands and are often spotted near to road verges. They spread their tail wide like a fan when hovering. They are found in a wide variety of habitats including countryside to towns and villages. They nest in holes in trees, old buildings and abandoned crows nests, and lay 3-6 eggs which are smooth, white with brown markings.

What they eat

They eat mice, voles, shrews, small birds and invertebrates. They specialise in catching voles and need to eat several a day to survive. Kestrels have excellent eyesight and can spot small prey from 50m away. They can also see ultraviolet light (invisible to the human eye) which means they can detect the urine trails left by rodents on the ground.

Where and when to see them

They can be seen all year round, from January to December.
Look out for them hovering over road verges, but also grasslands, farmland, uplands and urban areas.

View a kestrel 10km distribution map of Wales

Legal status

Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015).

Field Signs

Call

Kestrels have a shrill 'kee-kee-kee' call which is shorter than Hobby and Merlin calls.

Similar species

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

Another small bird of prey, the hobby measures 33-38cm in length and has an 87 cm wingspan. It is slate-grey above and pale below, with black streaks on the belly and rusty-red 'trousers'. It has a grey-brown head, white throat and cheeks, dark moustache and mask. The hooked bill is black and yellow, whilst their wings are pointed. The hobby looks long and pointed in flight and is often compared to a large swift in the air being very agile and acrobatic. They are a migratory 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.

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

A very small bird of prey, around the size of a blackbird. They measure 25-31cm in length and have a 50-62cm wingspan. Adult male merlins are blue-grey above, with a grey head and 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, with dark streaking underneath. Their upper wings are more spotted than the males. Merlins have blunt tails and compact, broad-based wings that are pointed at the tip; the adults’ legs and feet are yellow, but are more greenish in young individuals. Merlins nest on moorlands, and winter on coastal marshes and farmland in the lowlands.

Did you know?

The old country name for kestrel is ‘windhover’. This is due to their strong aerial agility and ability to hover in strong winds and keep its head still whilst tracking prey. Their tail forms a characteristic fan-shape to help them to do this.