No.301 · Birds · Uncommon
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
The little falcon you see hanging in the wind over a road verge, head dead still, tail fanned, watching the grass for a vole. Grey head and tail on the male, chestnut back spotted with black.
When to see a kestrel
All year, mostly by day.
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Where to see a kestrel in the UK
- The New Forest. Hangs over the open heath, looking for voles and lizards.
- The Pembrokeshire coast. Holds itself on the updraft along the cliff path.
Kestrel facts at a glance
- Best time
- Any daylight hour, all year: look over verges, rough grass and field edges, or on fence posts and wires.
- Where in the game
- Millbrook (farmland, grassland and urban), the New Forest (heath and lawn) and the Pembrokeshire coast (clifftop and sea cliff)
- Size
- Length 33–39 cm
- Wingspan
- About 76 cm
- Weight
- About 196 g for males and 221 g for females (BTO adult averages)
- Lifespan
- Typically 4 years; the oldest ringed bird lived nearly 16 (BTO)
- Population
- About 31,000 pairs in the UK (BTO, 2016); numbers fell 37% between 1995 and 2023 (RSPB)
- Status
- Amber (Birds of Conservation Concern)
Diet
Voles and other small mammals, small birds and insects such as grasshoppers.
Habitat
Open country: grassland, farmland and heathland, and open spaces in towns and cities.
Breeding
Nests in cavities and will use nest boxes; usually 4–5 eggs and one brood a year, and the chicks fledge after 32–37 days.
Field signs
- A small falcon hanging in one spot in the air, wings winnowing and tail fanned
- A sudden drop into long grass, then a flight up to a post with a vole
- Perched on wires and fence posts along quiet roads
Did you know?
- Hovering is so typical of it that its old country name is the windhover.
- It holds its head almost still while it hovers, adjusting its wings and tail around it so its eyes stay fixed on the ground.
- Kestrels can see ultraviolet light, which helps them spot the trails voles leave behind (RSPB).
Moments worth waiting for
- Hovering
It hangs in the wind with its tail fanned and its head dead still, then slides sideways and hangs again.
Photo tip
A hovering kestrel stays in one place, so you've time to focus. Shoot with the wind behind you, because it faces into the wind and will be looking your way.
Be a good naturalist
Watch from the road or path, and leave nest boxes and cavities alone in spring. Never use rodent poison near where they hunt: the RSPB names poisoned prey as a possible cause of their decline.
The law
Protected, like all wild birds, by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981: it is an offence to harm one or to damage an active nest.
