Often seen suspended in mid-air, kestrels are expert hovering hunters, striking prey from above with razor-sharp vision. Kestrels are a common sight on our canals, in open spaces, and along wood edges.
Kestrels are the second most common bird of prey in the UK behind buzzards.
Kestrel facts
Scientific name: Falco tinnunculus
Family: Falconidae
Diet: Voles, mice, shrews, and other birds
Predators: Larger birds of prey
Size: 32-35cm with a 71-80cm wingspan
Weight: Up to 250g
Lifespan: Four years
The 'windhover'
With pointed wings and a long tail, kestrels are a familiar sight along roadside verges, above open fields, and beside woodland edges. A little larger than a pigeon, kestrels make their homes and hunt their prey anywhere from rural countryside to towns, nesting in tree hollows or old buildings.
Populations have declined since the 1970s, likely as a result of agricultural changes. However, they've adapted to man-made environments and can survive in urban spaces.
How do kestrels hover?
Kestrels are often identified by their iconic flying behaviour – giving it one of its old nicknames: the 'windhover'. The kestrel has the incredible ability to keep its head still while hovering in a single spot to pinpoint its prey.
They hover by flying into the oncoming wind at the same speed as the air current. In fact, they're flying forward, but the wind resistance creates a hovering effect. As such, kestrels have slightly stiffer feathers than other birds of prey to withstand these strong winds.
Kestrels and our canals
Canals and rivers provide important feeding grounds for birds of prey. Often running along open fields and woodlands, our canals are home to plenty of food sources and nesting spots for kestrels.
We work to protect kestrels by installing nesting boxes and managing habitats along our network.
The kestrel has pointed wings with a long tail that fans out when hovering and a typical wingspan of around 75cm.
They have light-brown plumage with darker spots. Males have a grey-blue head with a prominent black band on their gingery brown tail and a pale underside. Females are a more uniform brown all over with dark bands on their tails.
A light-brown female kestrel with dark speckles on the wings and dark bands on the tail perches on a branch.
What do kestrels eat?
Kestrels mostly eat small mammals, with a particular taste for field voles – eating several each day to survive. They'll also occasionally eat small birds, worms and insects.
Kestrels have very good eyes with the ability to spot a beetle from 50 metres away. They can see ultraviolet light (invisible to the human eye) to detect urine trails by prey. Using their hovering hunting techniques, they fix their eyes on their target on the ground and swiftly drop to catch it. Sometimes, they store their catches to eat later.
Did you know that kestrels sometime steal from other birds of prey? They use their speed to snatch voles from barn owl nests.
How do kestrels breed?
Kestrels don't build nests. Instead, they make their homes and lay eggs in natural cavities or the abandoned nests of other birds. In urban spaces, kestrels might use rooftops or holes in the wall.
These birds lay four or five eggs each year, typically in late April or early May. Females will lay every two days and incubate for around 27-29 days. When the chicks hatch, they spend a further five weeks in the nest before fledging. Unusually for birds of prey, chicks aren't aggressive towards each other and might roost together after fledging.
Where do kestrels live?
Kestrels nest in a variety of habitats across the UK – from rural to urban areas. They tend to hunt in open spaces with long grass, a prime feeding area to feast on field voles. They might also hunt along woodland edges. Typically, the kestrel will keep to a four to eight-square-kilometre territory.
It's easy to recognise a kestrel by its distinctive hovering behaviours – often seen above roadside and canal verges or perched on fences or lampposts.
Although generally quiet birds, you might sometimes hear a shrill 'kee-kee-kee' sound when they near their nests. These calls might be more spaced to alarm others or a quicker sound while in flight.
What's the best time of day to spot kestrels?
To spot a kestrel, you should look above fields and verges in the mid-morning. They're most active during the heat of the day.
Kestrels are widespread. However, the UK's kestrel population has declined by half in the last fifty years. There are several possible reasons for this, from agricultural changes limiting habitats for field voles – a kestrel's main prey – to fewer habitats for kestrels themselves, like tree hollows.
