Kestrel (Common Kestrel)
Falco tinnunculus
   |
|
Distribution Britain 2,481 (-4.1%) Ireland 804 (-15.0%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 50,000 Ireland 10,000 European status: 280,000 (21% in Britain and Ireland =1) British population trend: declining -24% CBC (-18% BBS){-17%} How likely are you to record it? 1157 squares (25.8%) Ranked 41 [40] |
The hovering Kestrel, head to wind, searching for small mammals beside a busy road seems to indicate the integration of its old lifestyle with modern conditions. This may not be a true picture. The birds are found just about everywhere except Shetland, Harris and Lewis. They had been much reduced by keepers 100 years ago but, even before they received protection, many keepers had realised they were not a real threat as they mainly eat small mammals. The restored population suffered declines, blamed on seed-dressings, and fluctuates in many areas from year to year with the cyclic changes in vole numbers. Indeed earlier catastrophic vole plagues in Scotland (1880s) could have been due to the lack of control from this and other avian predators. The most recent Atlas records losses in Ireland and South-west England and Scotland and CBC and BBS record declines but brood sizes are increasing and nest losses declining. The population declines are of serious concern and may indicate that the small mammals are not doing well. Lack and loss of nest sites may exclude Kestrels from some areas and boxes erected on poles are readily used in treeless areas. There is serious cause for concern.
The following Bird On! picture is available:
Kestrel (35mm Colour Slide by Roger Tidman)
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead