The Kestrel is a member of the Falcon family. It is 33cm in height and is found in Europe, Asia and Africa. They are common in Ireland and Britain with about 60,000 pairs in all. Their colour is usually chestnut-brown with a bluish-grey colour in their heads and tails and a bluish-grey as well in their wings. Their habitats include trees, ruins, cliff ledges and sometimes buildings. Their diet is mostly small mammals but they will also eat small birds and insects. In fact a Kestrel can kill between 3,000 and 4,000 mice a year. They hover above the ground looking for any slight movement then they swoop down with their razor sharp talons and dig into and dig into their prey’s flesh. For small animals the Kestrel will just swoop down, kill it and carry it away but for bigger animals it has a tougher battle. They have to hold on with their talons until the animal is too weak or has died and only then will the Kestrel carry it away to eat in a safe place. It can carry quite heavy animals heavier than itself. One of its favourite hunting places is grass verges beside roads. It mostly hunts over fields and anywhere there are mice and rats. The female is slightly larger than the male and they differ in colour. They are found in nearly every part of the world except the Tropics and the Polar Regions. The Latin name for the Kestrel is Falco tinnunculus. An old name for them is ‘wind hover’ and its name (in translation) is used in several languages.

Story by Shay Hannon
Illustration by Imogene Rice