{"id":15747,"date":"2022-04-09T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T06:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=59631"},"modified":"2022-04-09T08:28:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T06:28:13","slug":"common-kestrel-guide-how-to-identify-them-how-many-eggs-do-they-lay-and-how-long-do-they-live-for","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/common-kestrel-guide-how-to-identify-them-how-many-eggs-do-they-lay-and-how-long-do-they-live-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Common kestrel guide: how to identify them, how many eggs do they lay, and how long do they live for"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 09 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The common kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey reaching 32-35cm in length with a wing span measuring up to 80cm. In the UK, it is usually just referred to as the kestrel, as it is the only kestrel species found here.<\/p>\n

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. They can often be seen perched on a high tree branch, or on a telephone post or wire, on the look out for prey<\/p>\n

Numbers of kestrels have declined in the UK since the 1970s, probably as a result of changes in farming and so it is included on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern. They have adapted readily to man-made environments and can survive right in the centre of cities.<\/p>\n

What is the scientific name of the kestrel?<\/h2>\n

The scientific name of the common kestrel is Falco tinnunculus. <\/em>Other UK birds in the Falco<\/em> genus are the merlin, the Eurasian hobby<\/a>, and the peregrine falcon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How to identify kestrels<\/h2>\n

The kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey, with a short neck and long, angular wings. Both the male and female have spotted reddish-brown backs, but the female is slightly larger and browner all over, with repeated black bands down its tail, while the male has a grey head and tail with a single black band at the end of its tail.<\/p>\n

One way to help distinguish them from other small birds of prey, such as sparrowhawks, hobbies or merlins, is how it hunts. The kestrel hovers in the air while looking for prey, its tail fanned while it rides the air current or ferociously beats its wings to stay in place (this explains another one of its names, \u2018wind-hover\u2019).<\/p>\n

How to identify kestrel pellets<\/h2>\n

Kestrel pellets are between 20-40mm long and 10-25mm diameter. They\u2019re rounded at one end pointed at the other, and light grey in colour.<\/p>\n

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