Medium small. Frequently seen hovering. Sexes differ. Female larger.
Male: Crown, nape, pale grey. Forehead, face, chin, white with dark malar stripe. Upperparts, pale rufous with dark streaking and dark wing tips. Underparts, off white. Tail, grey with dark subterminal band and white tip. Cere, yellow. Eyering, yellow. Legs, yellow.
Female: Like male but duller and more heavily streaked. Crown, nape, tail, rufous.
Immatures: Similar to female but browner and with dark centres to back feathers.
Other Names (World)
Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Kestrel, Hoverer, Mosquito Hawk, Sparrowhawk, Windhover
Common, partially migratory and nomadic with movement to northen Australia during the winter. Uncommon in Tasmania. Irruptive in response to local abundance of mice and grasshoppers.
Nest
In a hollow limb of a tree or crevice in a rock. Occasionally the deserted nest of a Crow or magpie is used.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 7, usually 4; very pale buff or pink with red-brown blotches; round; about 38 x 31 mm. Incubation: 26 - 28 days; by female.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 26 days.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Spotted Kestrel (Falco moluccensis).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 - Australasia, Indonesia, Christmas Island.
baru Rand, 1940 - Oranje Mountains, central New Guinea.
Similar Species
Hovering Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) but which is pale grey and has dark underwing markings and lacks the terminal tail band and pale morph of Brown Falcon (Falco berigora).
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet