KESTREL. 195 



Family FALCON I D^E. Genus FALCO. 



Sub-family FALCONING. 



KESTREL. 



FALCO TINNUCULUS, Linnaus. 

 Single Brooded. Laying season, latter end of April or in May. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA : The Kestrel is the 

 commonest and most widely distributed of the British 

 Birds of Prey. It breeds and is generally dispersed 

 throughout the British Islands on uplands and lowlands 

 alike, in the wildest as well as in the well-cultivated 

 districts. 



BREEDING HABITS : In many districts the Kestrel is 

 a regular migrant, leaving in autumn and returning in 

 early spring (March) ; still in some of our southern 

 counties individuals may be met with all the winter 

 through, although it is difficult to say whether these 

 are not migrants from the Continent, and that our 

 own breeding birds uniformly winter further south. 

 The Kestrel is not very particular as to the choice of a 

 breeding haunt. It may be met with breeding almost 

 anywhere, from the maritime cliffs to the inland woods, 

 from the ivied ruin or outbuilding to the moorland or 

 mountain plantation or range of rocks. No one area 

 seems more favoured than the other. The Kestrel is 

 not a social species, although several nests may be met 

 with at no great distance from each other. I am of 

 opinion that this bird pairs for life, using the same place 

 season after season to rear its young. The Kestrel is no 

 nest-builder. When breeding on the rocks its eggs are 

 laid on the bare earth of some ledge or crevice, when in 

 "a hole in a building on the bare dusty masonry, when in 

 a hollow tree on the decayed and powdered wood at the 



