KESTREL. 45 



FALCO TINNUNCULUS. 



KESTREL. 



(Plate 4.) 



Accipiter alaudarius, Biiss. Orn. i. p. 379 (1760). 



Accipiter tinnunculus, Briss. Orn. i. p. 393 (1760) ; et auctorum plurimorum — ■ 

 (Linnceus), {Tcinmlnvli), (Xaumann), (Gould), {Sharpe), {Neivtua), (Dresser), &c. 

 Falco tinnunculus, Liiui. Si/st. Nat. i. p. 127 (1766). 

 Falco fasciatus, iiV/.-. Faun. Suec. p. 70 (1800). 

 Falco brunneua, Bechst. Orn. Tu.^chenh. p. 38 (1802). 

 Cercbneis tinnuncula (Linn.), Boie, Isis, lsi'8, p. 314. 

 ^Egypius tinnunculus (Linn.), Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 20 (1820). 

 Tinnunculus alaudarius (Briss.), Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 21 (1844). 

 Tinnunculus tinnunculus (Linn.), Ileugl. Peterm. Mitlh. 1861, p. 20. 



The Kestrel is the commonest bird of prey in the British Islands, and 

 breeds almost every\ihere, 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 bii'ds. 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 tlie Palaearctic Region, and 

 is common up to lat. 60°. Fui'ther north it rapidly becomes rarer; and 

 north of the arctic circle its appearance is only accidental, though there 

 seems 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 



