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Kestrel Falco tinnunculus   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

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Order: Accipitriformes Family: Falconidae
BTO Codes: K., KESTR EURING No: 3040
Number in Britain: 55 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: tinnunculus recorded in Britain (of 12 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 34 cm Wingspan: 76 cm Weight: M: 190 g   F: 220 g    
Scientific name from: L.: falco=falcom (from falcis=sickle, ref hooked talons) and L.: tinnulus=shrill-sounding
World Distribution: Eurasia, Africa
Habitat: Open grassland, heath, farmland, towns
Diet: Chiefly small mammals, also insects and lizards (esp in warmer areas)
TitBit: Effortlessly at height hangs his still eye / His wings hold all creation in weightless quiet / Steady as hallucination in the streaming air / While banging wind kills those stubborn hedges (Ted Hughes, The Hawk in the Rain).  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends: Scotland   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 53 to 58 thousand pairs in 2007
    First Record: 8th Century [Fossil evidence from Wolstonian (penultimate) glaciation, c. 150,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Clements, R. (2008) British Birds 101:228-234
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: tinnunculus AMBER (European Concern)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Common in: Scrub, Arable Farmland
    Also found in: Pasture Farmland, Marsh, Villages
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 290 to 440 thousand pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)
Survey Results: BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 39 x 31 mm Egg Weight: 21.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 208
Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs 4.73 ± 0.88 (2 - 7) N = 1805
Incubation: 28- 29 days 28.61 ± 3.36 (22.5 - 36.5) N = 1805   by the: Female (occ. Male)
Fledging: 32 - 37days 33.57 ± 4.11 (25.5 - 39) N = 3751 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 1 May (15 Apr - 14 May)
Number of Broods: 1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: 1857 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.690       
Juvenile Survival: 0.320 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 4 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 15 years 11 months 1 days (set in 2003)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics
Ring Size: E
Wing Length Adult: 247.4 ± 10.5 Range 233 - 262 mm, N =292
Juvenile: 245.6 ± 15.8 210 - 264 mm, N =239
Male: 243.8 ± 8.0 232 - 256 mm, N =176
Female: 252.8 ± 11.5 235 - 265 mm, N =111
Weight Adult: 205.5 ± 33.35 Range 160.0 - 273.0 g , N =239
Juvenile: 199.1 ± 30.21 159.0 - 248.0 g , N =187
Male: 195.9 ± 24.88 164.0 - 245.0 g , N =148
Female: 220.5 ± 39.30 159.0 - 281.0 g , N =87
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Common Kestrel
Gaelic: Speireag-ruadh Welsh: Cudyll Coch
Danish: Tĺrnfalk Dutch: Torenvalk
Finnish: Tuulihaukka French: Crécerelle des clochers
German: Turmfalke Hungarian: Vörös vércse
Icelandic: Turnfálki Irish: Pocaire Gaoithe
Italian: Gheppio Norwegian: Tĺrnfalk
Polish: Pustulka zwyczajna Portuguese: Peneireiro-vulgar
Spanish: Cernícalo real Swedish: Tornfalk
Local Names:Windhover

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Village, A. 1990 The kestrel Poyser, London [598.53 VIL]
   Village, A. 1998 BWP Update 2:121-36
   Shrubb, M. 1993 The kestrel Hamlyn, London [598.53 SHR]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead