13 Fascinating Facts About Common Kestrel: Nature’s Windhovers

If you spot a medium-sized brown bird hovering near a roadside, it’s likely a common kestrel. Commonly called the “windhover,” the kestrel’s ability to hover motionless while pinpointing prey is a unique trait among birds of prey.

Common Kestrel: Identifying Features

Male and female kestrels are easily distinguishable:

1. Male Kestrels

• Blue-grey feathers on the head and tail.
• Chestnut-brown feathers on the back.
• A grey tail with a prominent deep black band at the base.

    2. Female Kestrels

• Brown feathers overall.
• Tail feathers with dark horizontal bars.

Shared Characteristics

Both sexes share these traits:

• Yellow feet and eye rims.
• A thin trim of yellow skin above their beaks.

These distinctive markings make kestrels stand out as elegant and efficient hunters in the skies.

Common Kestrels: Nature’s Windhovers

1. Medieval Falconry Symbolism

• • In medieval falconry, the kestrel symbolized a knave’s bird, reflecting its perceived lower status in the hierarchy of birds of prey.

2. Adaptable Diets in Different Habitats

• • Country kestrels primarily feed on small rodents, particularly voles.
  • Urban kestrels adapt by preying on sparrows.
  • They also eat lizards, earthworms, large insects, and even bats.

3. Vole Population Impact

• • Vole abundance directly influences kestrel breeding success, with more young kestrels fledging in good vole years.

4. Keen Eyesight for Low Light Hunting

• • Kestrels possess exceptional eyesight, enabling them to hunt effectively even in dim light, almost until darkness falls.

5. Versatile Hunting Techniques

• • They hunt from static perches and by hovering, though hovering, while productive, consumes significant energy.
  • During winter, they rely more on perches to conserve energy.
  • Their hovering skill gives them the country nickname “windhover.”

6. Compact yet Mighty Hunters

• • Adult kestrels weigh an average of only 220 grams, less than half the weight of a red-legged partridge, despite their impressive appearance.

7. Global Presence

• • The common kestrel boasts the largest range among its relatives, breeding across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
  • It is also Britain’s most widely distributed bird of prey, found on the mainland and many offshore islands, though absent from Shetland, likely due to the lack of voles.

Some More Facts About Common Kestrel

8. Breeding and Nesting Habits

• • Kestrels prefer using old crows’ nests but also nest in tree holes, cliff ledges, and nest boxes.
  • Most nest failures occur during incubation, but once eggs hatch, young kestrels are likely to fledge.
  • In years of vole abundance, kestrels sometimes nest unusually close to each other.

9. Lesser Kestrel: The Colonial Cousin

• • The lesser kestrel, native to southern and eastern Europe, nests in large colonies, unlike the solitary nesting habits of its relatives.

10. Endangered Kestrel Species

• The world’s rarest kestrel, native to Mauritius, faced near-extinction with only eight wild birds left 30 years ago. Conservation efforts have since increased the population to around 1,000.

11. Competitive Behaviors

• Kestrels are known to rob prey from other birds of prey like sparrowhawks, barn owls, and short-eared owls.

12. Survival Challenges for the Young

• Starvation is the leading cause of death among young kestrels, with only 30–40% surviving their first year.

13. Iconic Cinematic Representation

• The film Kes (1969), which tells the story of a young boy training a kestrel, remains a classic depiction of kestrels in popular culture.

Kestrels, with their keen eyesight, hovering prowess, and adaptability, are a captivating and resilient species of bird of prey, deserving admiration and continued conservation efforts.