KESTREL. 45 
FALCO TINNUNCULUS. 
KESTREL. 
(PLATE 4.) 
Accipiter alaudarius, Briss. Orn. i. p. 879 (1760). 
Accipiter tinnunculus, Briss. Orn. i. p. 893 (1760) ; et auctorum plurimorum— 
(Linneus), (Temminck), (Naumann), (Gould), (Sharpe), (Newton), (Dresser), &c. 
Falco tinnunculus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 127 (1766). 
Falco fasciatus, Retz. Faun. Suec. p. 70 (1800). 
Falco brunneus, Bechst. Orn. Taschenb. p. 88 (1802). 
Cerchneis tinnuncula (Linn.), Bote, Isis, 1828, p. 314. 
Kgypius tinnunculus (Linn.), Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 29 (1829). 
Tinnunculus alaudarius (Briss.), Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 21 (1844). 
Tinnunculus tinnunculus (Linn.), Heugl. Peterm. Mitth. 1861, p. 20. 
The Kestrel is the commonest bird of prey in the British Islands, and 
breeds almost everywhere, and is equally abundant in well-wooded districts 
and rocky moors. Amongst the grand scenery of the Highlands it is one 
of the most characteristic birds. It is common in the Hebrides, and 
breeds on most of the rocky islets, even on isolated St. Kilda and the 
Orkneys; in these northern haunts, however, the bird is merely a summer 
visitor, and retires southwards at the approach of winter. In Ireland the 
Kestrel is also widely distributed in all suitable localities, but does not 
appear to be so common as it is in Scotland and England. 
The Kestrel breeds in almost every part of the Palearctic Region, and 
is common up to lat. 60°. Further north it rapidly becomes rarer; and 
north of the arctic circle its appearance is only accidental, though there 
scems to be good reason to believe that Wolley once obtained a nest in 
Lapland as far north as 68°. North of the Alps it is principally a summer 
migrant ; but in the countries south of the Baltic a few remain during the 
winter. South of the Alps it appears to be a resident. The Kestrels 
breeding in North Africa receive large accessions to their numbers by 
migrants from Europe during winter; and at that season of the year it 
almost reaches the equator on the west of Africa, and goes slightly beyond 
it on the east of that continent. In Asia the Kestrel is equally abundant. 
In the valley of the Yenesay I found it very common in lat. 58°; and Mid- 
dendorff obtained five examples from a flock which appear to have wan- 
dered out of their way (they were all five young females) on migration in 
lat. 71°. In Persia it is very common in summer; but the greater number 
winter in Baluchistan and Arabia. In Turkestan the Kestrel is principally 
known as a spring and autumn migrant, but a few remain both winter and 
summer. It breeds in the Himalayas, but in India is principally known 
as a winter visitor, though there are resident Kestrels on the mountains of 
