Open Daily From 10am - 5pm! @ The National Botanic Garden of Wales
Common Kestrels
Boomerang, Aura, "Bombay & Mo"
In 2018 Mo was hatched at the Centre along with her brothers: Eeny, Meany and Miny! She now lives with her boyfriend Mo, giving us baby kestrels every year.
Aura and Boomerang are two of those babies!
Boomerang hatched in 2020 and is a real favourite with guests who fly him during our private experiences.
Aura hatched in 2024. She can be seen at the Centre where she watches guests quietly from her perch or in the flying displays where she shows off her great hovering skills.
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Common Kestrels Facts
Falco tinnunculus
Territory / Location
Common and widely distributed throughout Britain. The kestrel has a wide distribution in the rest of the world, from Europe and North Africa, through Eurasia, the Middle East, India, China and Japan.
Habitat
Prefers open habitat such as fields, heaths, shrubland and marshland. It does not require woodland to be present as long as there are alternative perching and nesting sites like rocks or buildings.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Diet
When hunting, the common kestrel hovers about 10–20 m above the ground, searching for prey, either by flying into the wind or by soaring using ridge lift. It can often be found hunting along the sides of roads and motorways. They are able to see near ultraviolet light, allowing the birds to detect the urine trails around rodent burrows as they shine in an ultraviolet colour in the sunlight, catching mouse-sized mammals. Voles, shrews.
Size / Weight
32–50cm long, with a wingspan of 65–82 cm weighing 136–314 g Females are noticeably larger.
Nesting
It is a cavity nester, preferring holes in cliffs, trees or buildings; in built-up areas, common kestrels will often nest on buildings, and generally they often reuse the old nests of corvids if these are available, breeding March – June laying 3–6 eggs.
Life Expectancy
10-16 years in the wild
24 years oldest recorded in the wild
Scientific
Classification
KINGDOM
Animalia
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves Neornithes
ORDER
Neoaves Falconiformes
FAMILY
Falconidae
GENUS
Falco
SPECIES
F. tinnunculus
Did you know?
Most common kestrels die before they reach 2 years of age; mortality up until the first birthday may be as high as 70%. At least females generally breed at one year of age.
The global population is fluctuating considerably over the years but remains generally stable; it is roughly estimated at 1–2 million pairs or so, about 20% of which are found in Europe.
