Female kestrel
This small falcon is one of our most familiar and widely-distributed birds of prey, absent only from Shetland, parts of north-west Scotland and central Wales.
Kestrels prefer grassland habitats over which they can hunt for small mammals and small birds. A cavity nester, the species will also use suitable nest boxes, a behaviour that has enabled detailed study of their breeding ecology.
While still widely distributed, annual monitoring data have highlighted a decline in Kestrel numbers, the causes of which remain unclear. In some areas predation by Goshawks has been linked to the loss of local breeding pairs.
Female kestrel
This small falcon is one of our most familiar and widely-distributed birds of prey, absent only from Shetland, parts of north-west Scotland and central Wales.
Kestrels prefer grassland habitats over which they can hunt for small mammals and small birds. A cavity nester, the species will also use suitable nest boxes, a behaviour that has enabled detailed study of their breeding ecology.
While still widely distributed, annual monitoring data have highlighted a decline in Kestrel numbers, the causes of which remain unclear. In some areas predation by Goshawks has been linked to the loss of local breeding pairs.