KESTREL . 167 



group, solve the difficulty b}^ retaining the si)ecies in the typical genus, 

 with the designation of Falco tiunu7iciilus 



Although some writers put it as low as 1 2^, the length of 

 the adult male kestrel may be given as 14 inches; the female not 

 being appreciably larger. The distinctive features in the plumage 

 are as follows : — In the adult male the head, neck, the lower part 

 of the back, and the tail are bluish grey, with a black sub-terminal 

 bar and white tips to the feathers of the latter ; the remainder of the 

 upper-parts are mahogany-chestnut, marked with small black spots ; 

 while the under-parts are cinnamon with black streaks and spots. 

 In the hen-bird, on the other hand, the upper-parts are rufous, with 

 heavy black barrings, the tail showing numerous narrow black bars 

 and white tips to the feathers. With the exception of being somewhat 

 paler in colour, immature birds of both sexes are at first very like 

 adult females, but at a comparatively early age the males are 

 distinguishable by the appearance of grey on the tail. 



Although in most parts of the country far less common than 

 formerly, the kestrel, or windhover, is still one of the most abundant 

 of the British hawks, and is a resident bird in all parts of the United 

 Kingdom, but shows a tendency to migrate in autumn in a southerl)- 

 and south-easterly direction. The individuals which leave the British 

 shores in winter to enjoy a milder climate in southern Europe or 

 northern Africa are, however, to a great extent, if not more than 

 entirely, replaced by arrivals from the north. As regards the breeding- 

 range of the kestrel, this includes the whole of Europe and temperate 

 Asia, the Himalaya, and many of the hill-ranges of peninsular India, 

 and probably Burma. During the winter kestrels spread all over 

 India, southern China, and a considerable part of Africa. Although, 

 like the hobby, prone to fly in early morning and in the evening, the 

 kestrel presents a marked contrast to that species in its preference for 

 open country rather than forests, being but rarely seen in the latter. 

 Its characteristic method of hunting for prey by beating over the 

 country, with occasional pauses over likely places, is so admirably 

 expressed by its local title of " windhover," and is at the same time so 

 familiar to all dwellers in the country, that further reference to the 

 subject is superfluous. Another peculiarity of the species is its 

 fondness for " ground-game," in contradistinction to birds, which it 

 seldom molests ; frogs, lizards, and field-mice forming a large portion 

 of its prey, although insects — especially locusts, in countries where 

 they occur — are also consumed to a larger or smaller extent. In 

 Great Britain and Ireland the place of locusts in the dietary is taken 



