126 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS; 



beginning in Nov. or Dec. and continuing to March. Moult of 

 body-feathers and wing-coverts usually more complete than in 

 Kestrel, wing-feathers not moulted but central two or three pairs 

 of tail-feathers and sometimes all tail-feathers are moulted. New 

 feathers of body and wing-coverts as in adult male but those of 

 crown usually tipped rufous, and those of nape often with blackish 

 shaft-streak and here and there on mantle and \ving-co verts small 

 black streaks or dots. In those individuals which have blue-grey 

 juvenile tail-feathers these when worn lose rufous tinge and are 

 much like those of adult except for their black bars. 



First winter and summer. Female. — Moult as in male. New 

 feathers like those of adult female more rufous than the worn and 

 paler juvenile feathers, especially on nape and not so pale at tips 

 and rather less widely barred, especially on wing -coverts. 



Second winter and summer. Male and female. — When com- 

 pletely moulted indistinguishable from adults. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 226-244 mm., tail 135-150, 

 tarsus 30-33, bill from cere 12-14 (12 measured). $ wing 224-246. 

 Primaries : 2nd longest, 1st and 3rd 5-15 mm. shorter, 4th 20-28 

 shorter, 5th 38^7 shorter, 6th 55-65 shorter ; 2nd emarginated 

 outer web, 1st very abruptly emarginated and attenuated near 

 tip of inner web, 2nd not emarginated on inner web. Tail con- 

 siderably rounded. Other structure as in Peregrine Falcon. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark blue-grey, base orange and tip blue- 

 black ; cere, gape, eyelids and bare skin round eyes yellow ; legs 

 and feet deep yellow, claws brown, pale brown to whitish (some- 

 times black, M. J. Nicoll, Ibis, 1912, p. 436) ; iris dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — F. n. pekinensis (Himalaya, Tur- 

 kestan, N. China) has more grey on median and lesser wing-coverts 

 but this character is variable as is colour of mantle. Adult male 

 easily distinguished from Kestrel by unspotted upper -parts and 

 blue-grey ear-coverts and sides of neck, female and young by 

 wing-formula, emarginations of primaries, smaller size, finer bill, 

 legs and feet and paler claws. 



Field -characters. — Closely resembles Common Kestrel, but 

 much more sociable in its habits, generally breeding in colonies 

 and hawking all day long in company. At close quarters males 

 can be distinguished from those of Common Kestrel without much 

 difficulty, by slightly smaller size, richer and unspotted red of 

 mantle. Females cannot be distinguished with certainty in field. 

 As many breeding colonies are in buildings in towns and birds are 

 very fearless it is often possible to look down on them from above 

 at a few yards' distance, when smallest details are visible and even 

 colour of claws can be distinguished. Note more musical and varied 

 than that of Kestrel. (F.C.R.J.) 



Breeding-habits. — Sociable, breeding in colonies as a rule ; 

 makes no nest, eggs being laid on scratching in hole, generally in 



