Male: Crown, nape, dark grey, feathers with narrow black shaft streaks. Malar stripe, blackish. Cere, yellow. Skin around eye, yellow. Eye, brown. Back, scapulars, dull rufous with dark brown spots. Rump, grey. Tail, above light grey with subterminal black band and white tip, belowgrey replaced by greyish-white. Primaries, dark brown, secondaries, greyish-brown, tipped white. Throat, undertail coverts, buff. Breast, streaked reddish. Belly, spotted reddish-buff. Shanks, rufous-buff. Bill, blue-grey at base with black tip. Legs, yellow.
Female: Head, pale rufous with dark shaft streaks. Cere, yellow. Skin around eye, yellow. Eye, brown. Back, barred pale rufous and dark brown. Rump, greyish. Tail, narrowly barred buff and dark brown, with a broad brown subterminal band. Underparts, buff. Breast, belly, streaked with dark brown. Bill, blue-grey at base with black tip. Legs, yellow.
Immatures: Similar to female.
Other Names (World)
Common Kestrel, European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, Rock Kestrel
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) [XC787107]
by Ch\u00e8vremont Fabian from La Platjola, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain (?)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) [XC822022]
by Dominique Guillerme from Chassey, C\u00f4te-d'Or, Bourgogne-Franche-Comt\u00e9, France (call, interaction calls)
Nest
A hole of a tree, buidling or cliff, or an old crows nest, with little nest material.
Eggs (Guide)
4- 5; white, with heavy red-brown markings; ellipsoidal. Incubation: about 28 days; mainly by female.
tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 - Northern Africa, Europe and Middle East east to eastern Siberia and Soviet Far East.
interstinctus McClelland, 1840 - Tibet east through northern Indochina and southern and central China to Korea and Japan. Winters south to India, Malay Peninsula and Philippines.
objurgatus (Baker, ECS, 1927) - Southern India (western and eastern Ghats) and Sri Lanka.
canariensis (Koenig, AF, 1890) - Madeira and western Canary Is.
dacotiae Hartert, 1913 - Eastern Canary Is.
neglectus Schlegel, 1873 - Northern Cape Verde Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Lesser Cape Verde Kestrel (Falco neglectus).
alexandri Bourne, 1955 - South-eastern Cape Verde Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Greater Cape Verde Kestrel (Falco alexandri).
rupicolaeformis (Brehm, CL, 1855) - North-eastern Africa and Arabia.
archeri Hartert & Neumann, 1932 - Somalia, coastal Kenya and Socotra.
rufescens Swainson, 1837 - Western and central Africa, east to Ethiopia and south to southern Tanzania and northern Angola.
rupicolus Daudin, 1800 - Northern Angola, southern Zaire and southern Tanzania south to southern South Africa.
perpallidus (Clark, AH, 1907) - North-eastern Siberia to north-eastern China and Korea.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet