Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

BirdRaptorFalcon

Overview

The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of open country across Europe, Asia and Africa, and one of the most familiar birds of prey in its range because of where it hunts: roadside verges, field margins and rough grassland.

Its signature is hovering. A kestrel will hang almost motionless in the air, wings beating and tail fanned, with its head held remarkably still while it scans the ground below — then drop onto prey in a controlled stoop.

Males and females differ: males have a blue-grey head and tail with a chestnut back, while females are more uniformly barred brown. Both show the pointed wings and long tail typical of falcons.

Habitat & Range

Kestrels occupy open and semi-open habitats — farmland, grassland, heath, moorland, marsh edges, road verges and city margins — across Europe, Asia and much of Africa. They avoid dense forest and need open ground to hunt over, along with a raised perch or airspace to hunt from. They readily use buildings, quarry ledges and nest boxes, and old crow nests, rather than building nests of their own.

Diet

Kestrels feed mainly on small mammals, above all voles, supplemented by mice, shrews, small birds, lizards, and large insects such as beetles and grasshoppers. The balance shifts with season and habitat: insects and lizards feature more in warmer regions and in summer, small mammals dominate elsewhere.

Behavior

Beyond hovering, kestrels hunt from perches, dropping onto prey below. One of the most striking findings about them is that kestrels can see into the ultraviolet, and vole scent-marking trails reflect UV — meaning a hovering kestrel may be reading traces of vole activity across a field rather than only watching for movement. They are usually solitary or in pairs, and are vocal around the nest with a sharp repeated call.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Kestrels adapt well to farmland and even urban settings, nesting on buildings and readily taking to nest boxes, which has made them a common subject of local conservation schemes. Populations in parts of Europe have declined, generally linked to agricultural intensification reducing rough grassland and vole numbers, and to secondary poisoning from rodenticides. This profile offers no guidance on keeping or handling raptors, which is regulated in most countries. Verify current status at the IUCN Red List.