Photo of a kestrel. Common kestrel. Reproduction and lifespan

One of the most common birds of prey Central Europe is the Common Kestrel. According to one version, the bird received its name because it was unsuitable for use in falconry, for which it was nicknamed “empty.”

Falcon Kestrel.
Kestrel with prey.
Falcon Kestrel.

Geography of habitat

In addition to Europe, the kestrel lives in North Africa and Western Asia. Depending on the amount of food in their habitats, birds lead either a sedentary or migratory lifestyle. Typically, birds living in the northern regions of Europe and Asia migrate closer to the south of Europe or to Africa. An interesting fact is that during the flight the birds stay low - no more than 100 meters and do not interrupt their flight even in bad weather.

For habitat, they prefer forest edges and copses with low vegetation. They can also settle in mountainous areas; representatives of the kestrel are found at an altitude of five thousand meters.

Kestrel during the hunt.

Kestrel in Cyprus.

Appearance

If you look at a photo of a male and female kestrel, sexual dimorphism immediately becomes noticeable. It is especially pronounced in the color of the head. The feathers on the female's head are a uniform brown-brown color, while the male's head is a light gray color. You can also see diamond-shaped black spots on the brown feathers on the back of the male, and black stripes with a white border are visible at the end of the bird’s tail. Sexual dimorphism appears in birds after puberty - young males have the same color as females.

On the back of an adult female there is a clearly visible dark transverse band; the same stripes are only Brown V large quantities present on the tail of the female.

The weight and body length of kestrels can vary depending on the subspecies, on average the weight of females is about 200 grams, females are 15-30 grams heavier; The length of males is on average about 35 cm, females 36 cm.

Interestingly: the higher the mass of the female, the more numerous the clutch will be, and the more viable the offspring. Weight Limit poultry about 310 grams.

A male kestrel with a freshly caught vole.

Kestrel with prey in flight.

Kestrel with lizard.

Nutrition and behavior

These falcons, like real predators, go hunting to get food. Typically their diet consists of:

• vole,
• Shrew,
• mice,
• lizards,
• earthworms,
• insects,
• frogs,
• Bats,
• Vorobiev,
• Pigeon chicks.

To replenish its energy, the kestrel will need to catch at least six voles. This is how she hunts: she looks out for prey at a height, waiting good time, she rushes at her, and kills the victim with a blow to the back of the head with her beak. It is during the hunt that the bird demonstrates “quivering flight” - it freezes in one place, thanks to the frequent flapping of its wings.

The Kestrel began to think at sunset.

Reproduction

Kestrels reach sexual maturity at about 10-12 months. Such a falcon does not build nests, but lays eggs in rocks, tree hollows, and can also occupy the abandoned nest of another bird. During the breeding season, up to several dozen pairs can form a colony.

Typically, a kestrel clutch contains from 3 to 8 eggs; quite often, some of the eggs are unfertilized. Falcon eggs have an ocher color with rusty speckles and brown spots. Both parents take turns incubating the chicks; the chicks are born on days 28-30.

In the photo it is noticeable that the body of newborn chicks is covered with white fluff, which soon begins to turn gray. Both parents are responsible for feeding the chicks - the male looks for prey, and the female, having plucked it, gives it to the children. The chicks begin to fly at the age of one month, but will leave their parents only after they learn to hunt, which usually takes about four weeks.

A kestrel in the sky looks out for prey.
Kestrel deals with prey.
Kestrel prepares to attack.

Life expectancy in wildlife is 14-16 years old; in captivity, kestrels live up to 25 years.

Interesting: kestrels are extremely popular in Europe, so in 2006 this bird received the title “Bird of the Year” in Switzerland, and in 2007 in Germany.

See also:

The common kestrel is one of the most common small falcons in Russia. It is a small bird with sharp wings and a long stepped tail.

About thirty years ago she could often be seen flying over the field and looking for prey. IN present time This is no longer such a common picture.

The kestrel's main food is mouse-like rodents. Like all feathered predators, it has sharp vision. After flying several tens of meters, the bird turns into the wind, lowers its tail and hovers in place, often fluttering its wings like a small feathered helicopter. For this peculiarity of behavior, in some places it is called a “shaker”.

And now a little about the name of the bird. The word kestrel seems so strange, but it was given to the bird for a reason.

In Rus', falconry has long been loved, in which saker falcons, gyrfalcons, and sparrowhawks always took part. The hunters tried to involve our hero in the case, but everything turned out to be in vain. Birds caught rodents. So they dubbed her “kestrel” - an empty, useless falcon.

The common kestrel lives in our country almost everywhere, except for the northern tundra regions. A favorite place habitat is forest-steppe, valleys large rivers and small forest belts. Solid forest areas this bird avoids because She hunts in open spaces.

It nests in trees, along forest edges and on power lines. Like most falcons, it does not build its own nests, but occupies empty nests of rooks, crows and magpies. Sometimes it settles in hollows, not only empty ones, but also residential ones, easily driving out the owner. The common kestrel is also found in cities, where, in addition to nests, it can live in niches of various buildings.

Birds arrive from wintering grounds in April-May and mostly nest in single pairs. Sometimes 2-3 more pairs and even a small colony of up to 10 individuals can be located in the neighborhood. The occupied nesting site is either not completed at all, or a few branches are added purely symbolically.

Egg laying occurs in mid-April or early May, depending on weather conditions. A clutch usually contains 4-5 mottled eggs, but sometimes nests with 9 eggs are found, which are colored from dark brown to light ocher with speckles. There is only one clutch per year, but if the eggs die, the kestrel can lay another clutch. Only the female incubates, while the male constantly forages for food and brings it to the nest.

The babies emerge a month later sighted and hear well. And at the slightest danger, they either hide at the bottom of the nest, or turn over on their backs and throw their paws forward, armed with sharp claws. At this time, they resemble small fluffy kittens who want to show everyone how strong and scary they are.

Their appetite is downright “brutal”, and parents are simply knocked off their feet to get food for their children. In a day, two kestrels catch up to twenty different rodents, which brings invaluable benefits to humans. Gradually, the chicks replace their downy outfit with feathers, become interested in what is happening outside their home and demand even more food.

After a month and a half, the youngsters are already testing the power of the wing, arranging a kind of exercise at the edge of the nest. Soon they will learn to fly and in September-October, together with their parents, they will go for the winter.

The common kestrel is a very useful bird, which, by feeding, allows people to save crops. Truly, the spool is small, but precious! Here's the "empty falcon"!

This bird has very few natural enemies in nature. Main enemy, unfortunately, is a man.

In the 60-70s of the last century, hunters handed over the legs of birds of prey they killed for a reward. And 25% of the legs belonged to the common kestrel. This bird is very trusting of humans, which is what killed it.

At the same time in agriculture chemicals such as dust were actively used. This drug accumulated in small doses in the treated plants. These plants were eaten by rodents, and the doses of the drug had already increased many times over. As a result, the kestrel, and others, received this chemistry, which led to disruption of the reproduction cycle.

The days of dust have long passed, and no one forces hunters to kill falcons, but the number of these birds in most regions of Russia is catastrophically declining. Even scientists cannot understand what is wrong.

I really want the common kestrel to become a truly “common” bird today, and not a rare bird.

• July 23, 2013 Cute prairie dog animals are found only on the territory North America And...

Squad - Predator birds

Family - Falcons

Genus/Species - Falco tinnunculus

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: 34-36 cm.

Wingspan: 71-80 cm.

Weight: males - about 200 g, females - about 240 g.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: from 1 year.

Nesting period: April.

Number of eggs: 3-6 eggs.

Incubation: 29-30 days.

Feeding chicks: 28-32 days.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: falcon kestrel (pictured) is a sedentary bird that migrates extremely rarely.

Nutrition: The kestrel eats mainly mice and other small rodents, sometimes the chicks of other birds and lizards.

Lifespan: 3-4 years.

RELATED SPECIES

The 39 species of falcons also include the prairie and American kestrel.

The kestrel is the ruler of the air. It can "hover" above the ground even when strong wind, while often, often fluttering its wings. With the help of wings and tail, she is able to hold her head in a stable position and watch her prey while hunting.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

The kestrel hunts at a height of 10 to 40 meters above the ground. Typically, the targets of kestrel attacks are mice; in some areas they make up about 80% of its diet. When this falcon sees prey, it presses its wings to its body and falls on it like a stone, as other falcons do. But the bird stops right at the ground and grabs the victim with its claws. If the hunt was successful, it takes off into the air again with the prey in its claws.

This small predator must make a lot of effort to find enough food for itself. In winter, the kestrel also hunts from its observation post, from where it flies out at the first movement seen on the ground. In addition to voles, she also catches mice, moles, lizards, and sometimes even looks for worms and insects in the ground. May attack nests of birds with chicks. After a successful hunt, the kestrel takes the prey to a resting place or to its nest. This falcon practically does not hunt flying game, therefore it is not suitable for falconry, in fact, this is how it got its name: “kestrel” from the word “empty” - i.e. in this case, not suitable for hunting.

KESTEL AND MAN

Once upon a time, hunters exterminated these falcons. Nowadays, farmers value this bird because it helps them control the number of rodents and insects. Kestrels are harmed by pesticides used by humans to control rodents. Since the ban on the use of pesticides, the population of these birds has been growing.

Most of the kestrel falcon's primary habitat has been destroyed by humans, but it is one of the few predators that willingly settles near humans. A kestrel flies over natural green areas - ideal habitats for mice and other rodents. In cities, these falcons are attracted to a variety of buildings, especially high places. They choose shelters protected from the wind and hunt chicks of birds nesting nearby.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The kestrel requires open space where prey can be observed from the air. During the nesting period, she searches the foothills of the hills, dense thickets heather and swamps, flies into the mountains. It can be seen over fields and meadows when the bird, without rising high, flies back and forth, sometimes stopping in the air and then continuing its flight. At other times of the year the kestrel hunts over the rocks, sandy hills and in arid areas, near which there are no suitable nesting sites. She often makes her nest near human settlements or in city parks. In regions located far to the south, a pair of falcons remains at the nesting site throughout the year. Kestrels from northern Europe They fly south in the fall and return only in the spring.

REPRODUCTION

During mating games the male kestrel seems to attack the female, but stops before reaching her. They then spin in the air together.

They do not build nests - they lay eggs on rock ledges, in depressions or in rock crevices. The kestrel often occupies abandoned nests of other birds - crows or pigeons. If it doesn't find best places for nesting, it lays eggs directly in the heather thickets. At the end of April or beginning of May, the female kestrel lays up to 6 eggs.

Nesting time begins in April; the female lays eggs at intervals of two to three days. When all the eggs have been laid, the female begins incubation. Kestrel chicks are covered with white down. During the first eight days, and sometimes more, the mother carefully warms the babies. First she feeds the chicks, and later the male comes to her aid.

KESTEL OBSERVATIONS

The kestrel is one of the few birds of prey in Europe whose wings make a characteristic sound in flight. She flies over the bushes so as not to miss the opportunity to catch prey. This bird of prey often hunts near roads and highways. The flying kestrel can be recognized by its long tail and narrow wings. The female has a characteristic tail with a dark border on regularly shaped feathers. The sitting bird has red feathers on its back. She lives where there are trees and open spaces, avoids solid arrays.

• In female kestrels, which inhabit Western, Central and South Africa, the head and tail feathers are the same ash-gray color.
• Due to the irresistible passion of these falcons for mice and voles, attempts by hunters to train them as birds of prey were in vain.
• Vole mouse numbers, which fluctuate in four-year cycles, are responsible for similar changes in kestrel population numbers.
• Sometimes the kestrel nests on high bell towers and buildings. One couple settled in the tower of the British Parliament in Westminster.
• The kestrel that lives in the city hatches half as many chicks as birds that inhabit the countryside.

DESCRIPTION OF KESTEL

Male: head and tail are ash blue.

Nest: occupies empty nests of other birds or nests on rocky ledges, in mountain gorges, and does not avoid human settlements.

Female: the back is reddish-brown, the belly is densely covered with specks.

Eggs: 3-6 white with brown spots.

In birds of both sexes: monochrome red back, completely covered with dark spots; the bottom is waxy in color with spots.

- Habitat of the Kestrel Falcon

WHERE DOES THE KESTEL LIVE?

Europe, Africa, Asia, with the exception of the northern regions and many islands. Kestrels inhabiting the northeastern regions winter in Central Europe, in the Mediterranean region and North Africa.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

The kestrel's home range has decreased, but it is still a very common species of bird of prey. In Europe, to the west of Russia, about 230 thousand couples live.

Kestrel. Video (00:01:44)

Kestrel falcon. Chernobyl. Pripyat. Video (00:02:45)

Working material for the film "Falcon over the City", dir. I. Byshnev, "Belarusian Video Center", 2012. Music - Natalya Teterevskaya

Kestrel falcon. Everything About Pets. Video (00:03:43)

Kestrel. Banding chicks. Kestrel chicks ringing. Video (00:03:47)

Working material for the film "Falcon over the City", dir. I. Byshnev, "Belarusian Video Center", 2012. Banding kestrel chicks in a nest located on a residential building in regional center Belarus - Brest. For the last three years, the life of this nest can be observed in live broadcast mode using a camera installed by specialists public organization APB - “Ahova Birdwatch Batskaushchyny”: http://birdwatch.by/pustalga_brest2012

Falcon Kestrel. Video (00:01:31)

Common kestrel. Birds of Brateevograd. Video (00:01:16)

In Maryino and Brateevo, observers noted cases of nesting on power line supports in old hooded crow nests. They graze in low-grass wastelands.
The kestrel remained for the winter in Brateevo in the area of ​​the artificial lagoon on site former quarry and on the opposite bank in Maryino. Fishermen also saw their nesting sites there.
In spring, summer and autumn, the kestrel is seen in the thickets of the Chaginsky wastelands.

Falcon Kestrel. Video (00:00:45)

My husband at work caught this falcon with singed flight feathers on one side, the breast and tail were also damaged. But because of the flight feathers, the bird cannot fly, but in general the falcon feels great, jumps around the workshop (where it is temporarily registered) and squashes chicken fillet and captured lizards. We are waiting for the molt and when the new feathers grow we will release them into the wild)))

Steppe kestrel. Video (00:00:17)

A bird living in the steppes of the Kulunda Lowland

Appearance and behavior. A small, pigeon-sized, relatively broad-winged and long-tailed falcon. A little larger than a falcon and a little smaller. The physique is slender, the feather “pants” on the legs are almost not developed. Body length 32–39 cm, weight of males 115–252 and 154–310 g of females, wingspan 65–82 cm.

Description. The general color is buffy-red with dark streaks, the bottom is lighter than the top. The primaries and their coverts are dark brown on top, the underwings are covered with small dark streaks. An adult male differs from a female in having a brighter mantle, fewer dark teardrop-shaped streaks, and an arrow-shaped top; a plain gray “hood” on the head, a plain gray tail with a black apical stripe framed by a narrow white border.

The female has a red cap, back and tail, with a frequent dark pattern, longitudinal on the cap and transverse on the back. The rump and sides of the tail are usually greyish, the tail with narrow transverse stripes and a wider apical stripe, which is also bordered with white. Males aged 1–2 years are similar in color to the female. The young are similar to the female, but duller, with larger longitudinal rather than teardrop-shaped streaks on the chest and belly.

The orbital ring, cere and legs in adult birds are yellow, in young birds they are pale, with a bluish or greenish tint. Compared to other small falcons, the common kestrel has the widest wings, with blunt tips. When soaring and gliding, the bird often turns around a long tail with a clearly visible (especially in the male) black apical stripe. It also differs from all falcons, except the steppe kestrel and the female steppe merlin, in the rufous tones on the back and upper part of the wings; from above, the contrast between the rufous bases of the wings and their dark ends is clearly visible.

The female kestrel differs from the female steppe merlin in its general proportions and a wide apical stripe on the tail. They differ from birds of both sexes at any age in having a rounded rather than wedge-shaped tail, dark rather than whitish claws, and narrow dark “whiskers” on the cheeks. An adult male also has a large development of dark streaks on the back, belly, chest and wings, and the absence of bluish-gray bands on the wings.

Distribution, status. Distributed throughout almost all of Eurasia and Africa. In the mountains it is found up to an altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level. In the south of its range and in most of Europe, the settled species migrates from Russia and temperate parts of Asia to snowless areas for the winter, including the Ciscaucasia, Black Sea region, and Caspian Sea region. The number and nesting success of the species depend on the number of rodents. In the European part of Russia the species was quite common, but in last years There has been a general decline in numbers, the reasons for which are unknown.

Lifestyle. A typical inhabitant of open, dry spaces, in the forest zone it gravitates towards forest edges and farmland. Willingly settles in anthropogenic landscapes, even in cities. The diet is dominated by small rodents, in the south - lizards and insects, and less often catches birds. It hunts low above the ground, its flapping flight is slow, sometimes it glides or soars with its wings and tail wide open. A typical hunting technique is hovering on fluttering wings above the prey, then diving down. Often looks out for voles and mice from poles and wires.

arrives in early spring. It nests in corvid nests in trees, in cliff niches, on rocks, in buildings, in artificial nest boxes, and occasionally in burrows, niches and hollows. Semi-colonial settlements are known. The clutch usually contains 3–6 eggs of a rusty color typical for falcons; only the female incubates for about a month; feeding the chicks lasts 27–35 days.

Common kestrel– lat. Falco tinnunculus, belongs to the class of birds, is a member of the falcon family. The kestrel, which belongs to the group of small falcons, has perfectly adapted to life in cities. In flight, it is easy to recognize her by her characteristic cries and dizzying acrobatic stunts.

Habitat

The kestrel inhabits vast areas of Europe, Asia and Africa. Birds living on the northern edges of their range winter in Southern Europe or North Africa. The rest of the population leads sedentary image life. Kestrels most often nest in forests, dense copses among fields, on rocks, heather heaths, near swamps and in big cities. Her hunting grounds- these are open air spaces over fields, meadows, wastelands, sand dunes and shelterbelts along busy roads. In cities, the kestrel prefers to hunt in large parks.

Lifestyle and reproduction

The kestrel devotes almost all its time to hunting. The purely meat diet of birds includes small animals: mice, shrews, moles and voles, small birds and their chicks, small reptiles, frogs and invertebrates - earthworms and insects. The kestrel is fluent in two methods of hunting. The first of them is ambush hunting. Having chosen a convenient observation point (a rocky ledge or a tree branch), the bird surveys the surroundings in search of prey. Another way - air patrol. The kestrel hovers in one place against the wind, tail spread wide, wings flapping vigorously and head down to look for prey. Having noticed the victim, the bird folds its wings, dives down like a stone, strikes with its paws extended forward, clenches its claws and flies into the air again. Sometimes the kestrel finds food on the ground, grabbing earthworms or fat locusts. In the city, the basis of her diet is small birds, and outside the city she likes to hunt along the roadsides. When hunting, the kestrel often “shakes” in the air at low altitude, for which in our area it is called the “shaker”.

Kestrels wintering in the south return to their nesting sites in the spring. The mating season opens with lekking flights. First, the female sits on a rock or branch, and the gentleman swoops down on her, imitating air attacks, after which both partners soar into the air. Like other falcons, the kestrel does not build nests, preferring to occupy the buildings of other birds, settle on rocky ledges or in wall niches. Not finding a suitable place, the female lays eggs directly on the ground - for example, in heather thickets. Egg laying lasts from late April to May - 1 egg at an interval of 2-3 days. A typical clutch consists of 4-6 yellowish-white eggs dotted with rusty-brown specks. The female begins incubation only after laying last egg and during the entire period of incubation (21-27 days) does not leave the nest, feeding on the spouse’s offerings. The mother spends the hatched chicks in the nest for another week, warming the offspring. At first, the male only brings prey, and only the female feeds the babies. Later, the mother also begins to fly out to hunt, and both parents feed their children. After 28-32 days, the chicks begin to fly and reach sexual maturity at one year of age.

Kestrel guard

Today, in many countries, kestrels are protected by law. In the past, these feathered predators were mercilessly pursued and killed, and only over time did peasants appreciate their help in the fight against rodents. Unfortunately, kestrels often die from pesticide poisoning. In places where the use of plant protection products is strictly limited, an increase in the number of these beneficial birds has been noted.

Features of the kestrel bird

The kestrel has noticeable sexual dimorphism. Unlike the male, the plumage of the adult female lacks bluish-gray tones. Her head, back and tail are reddish-buff, and the dark spots and stripes on her body are more densely scattered than those of the male. Young birds are similar in color to females.

From 45 to 55% of kestrels die in the first year of life, and in subsequent years the mortality rate of these birds is very high and amounts to 35-40%. The oldest ringed birds living in the wild were 14 and 16 years old.

As a rule, the kestrel patrols the air at a height of 10-40 m above the ground. Over meadows overgrown with short grass, where it is easy to spot prey, the predator flies at an altitude of up to 100 m.

Urban kestrels choose higher places for nests: church bell towers or cracks in the walls of tall buildings.

In winter, the kestrel prefers to hunt from ambush. At this time, you have to save energy - after all, flying requires 4 times more energy than sitting in an ambush. But in the summer, when there is plenty of prey, the kestrel hunts in the air, often making long flights.

In some regions of Europe, conservationists have created entire nesting colonies for kestrels, placing comfortable “houses” on the walls of tall buildings and bridge supports.

Class – birds (aves)
Order – falconiformes
Family – falcons (falconidae)
Genus – falcons (falco)
Species – common kestrel (falco tinnunculus)