Greater Kestrel (Falco rupicoloides)

Other Names (World)
Greater Kestrel, White-eyed Kestrel

Family
Falconidae (Falcons, Caracaras)

Size
29 - 37 cm

First Described (Guide)
Smith, 1829

Habitat
Open grassland, savanna and arid areas. From sea-level - 2,150 m.

Range (Guide)

Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland (B), Tanzania [United Republic of], Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to Lesotho.

Population
Estimated population is 100,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Insects, reptiles, small birds, snakes and mammals.

Voice
Usually silent ut also has a shrill call.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (5)...)

Greater Kestrel (Falco rupicoloides) [XC204706]
by Peter Boesman from Cradock, Stormberg District, Eastern Cape, South Africa (call)

(Falco rupicoloides) [XC510167]
by Peter Boesman from Engikaret Lark plains woodland edge, Arusha, Tanzania (call)

Nest
Usually an old nest of a Cape Crow (Corvus capensis) or Pied Crow (Corvus albus), usually 2 - 20 m above the ground, in a tree, or a pole or pylon.

Eggs (Guide)
2 - 7, usually 3 or 4. Incubation: 22 - 23 days; mainly by female.

Young
Fledge in 30 - 34 days but remain close to parents for a further 26 days or more.

Subspecies
May form superspecies with Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex), but quite different in ecology and proportions.

The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

fieldi (Elliot, DG, 1897) - Northern and eastern Ethiopia, north-western Somalia.
arthuri (Gurney Sr, 1884) - North-eastern Tanzania, Kenya.
rupicoloides Smith, 1829 - Namibia, Botswana, south-western Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Greater Kestrel (Falco rupicoloides) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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