THE LESSER KESTREL. 125 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Upper-parts 

 as adult <J Kestrel but crown paler blue-grey and seldom washed 

 rufous and feathers with only slightly darker grey shafts and very 

 rarely with definitely dark brown shafts ; mantle, scapulars and 

 back unspotted, uniform pale chestnut-red, some outer scapulars 

 with varying amount of blue-grey subterminally ; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts blue-grey, feathers with darker shafts ; ear- 

 coverts and sides of neck as crown but ear -coverts with slightly 

 hoary streaks and round eye darker blue -grey ; base of feathers of 

 lores, chin and throat creamy-buff contrasting sharply with grey 

 sides of neck and with breast and flanks, which are pinkish- 

 buff with black-brown spots varying in size and number, often 

 absent from upper-breast and occasionally absent altogether 

 from under-parts ; centre of belly and under tail-coverts paler 

 creamy -buff and sometimes tinged grey ; axillaries varying shade 

 of pinkish-buff and grey and with varying number of black- 

 brown spots ; under wing-coverts white usually tinged cream 

 and occasionally slightly washed rufous, with varying number of 

 black-brown spots which very rarely are entirely absent ; tail- 

 feathers as in Kestrel blue-grey with blackish shafts, broad black 

 subterminal band and whitish tips, but imier w r ebs never barred ; 

 primaries brown-black very narrowly edged and tipped whitish, 

 inner edges and bases of inner webs white mottled brown, very 

 rarely with indications of comb-like marks ; outer secondaries 

 same but outer webs greyer, inner secondaries blue -grey with 

 varying amount of chestnut-red ; primary -co verts brown-black ; 

 greater coverts blue-grey with varying amount of chestnut-red, 

 usually absent from outer feathers or confined to edges of outer 

 webs and usually considerably more on inner feathers especially 

 on outer webs and tips ; median and lesser coverts chestnut-red 

 as mantle but outer feathers of median usually and of lesser more 

 rarely with varying amount of blue-grey. This plumage is acquired 

 by a gradual moult extending from June to Jan. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Like adult female 

 F. t. tinnunculus and not to be distinguished with certainty by 

 coloration, but brown -black bars on upper -parts usually narrower 

 and moustachial stripe usually very ill defined. Moult as in adult 

 male. 



Nestling. — At first like Kestrel but whiter and rather more 

 thickly covered (only one very young nestling in down examined). 

 Judging by partially feathered bird down (c) is paler than in Kestrel. 



Juvenile. Male and female.— Like that of F. t. tinnunculus 

 but upper-parts and tail with brown-black bars less broad than is 

 usual in juvenile Kestrel, rump and upper tail-coverts often with 

 considerable amount of grey tinge and moustachial stripe very 

 ill defined. In male tail-feathers are often blue-grey with a few 

 black bars and a tinge of rufous. 



First winter and summer. Male. — As in adult moult is gradual 



