Lesser Kestrel - world distribution Although I'd seen Lesser Kestrels in Spain in the 1970s and once again in the 1990s on Cyprus, it wasn't until I started to visit Spain regularly after 2002 that I got to know them. This process accelerated after buying a small house in Alcla de los Gazules a few years later as the village has a thriving population of this charismatic species. This is good news since the species' conservation status was, until recently, classed as 'Vulnerable'. Not surprising since they'd undergone a massive decline in western Europe – a depressing 95% since 1950 leading to extinctions in central Europe (e.g. Czech Republic, Austria, etc.). Those birds further east were declining too but figures for the Asian population are hard to come by. Texts now describe Lesser Kestrel as 'monotypic' meaning that there are no different races, but interestingly eastern males (previously called 'pekinensis') have much more grey on the upper wing (see - http://birdingfrontiers.com/2013/02/12/taxonomical-notes-lesser-kestrel-is-really-monotypic/ ). Surprisingly, despite resembling 'Common' Kestrel, DNA studies have indicated that they're actually not very closely related species (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Kestrel ) The species decline was probably mainly a result of pesticide poisoning and a loss of habitat, but nobody knows for certain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Kestrel ) The species decline was probably mainly a result of pesticide poisoning and a loss of habitat, but nobody knows for certain.
Pair of Lesser Kestrels Happily, the decline seems to have reversed in recent years with increases reported from, amongst other countries, Portugal and Italy. In both countries an increase in suitable nesting sites has been cited as the cause of the increase; specially constructed 'kestrel towers' in the first instance and an increase in ruined buildings, caused by rural depopulation, in the second. Up to 42,000 birds are reckoned to breed in western Europe (and north Africa) with half or more of these breeding in Spain where the population now seems to be stable or increasing. In Andalucia alone the population has risen from c2,100 pairs (1988) to c4,800 pairs (2009). They're now no longer classed as in danger but as species of 'Least Concern' (see http://www.terredelmediterraneo.org/action_plan.htm for the species' 'action plan'). They were once exclusively cliff nesters and still are at some sites (e.g. Llanos de Libar). However, they're now almost exclusively found nesting in human habitations so that almost every small and many larger settlements in in central and southern Spain has a colony. The species is so associated with Spain that the Collins Bird Guide illustrates them flying round the giralda of Seville's cathedral (the only building depicted in that book!).
Female Lesser Kestrel emerging from her nest site in the bastion next to our house! A few birds winter in a restricted area in SW Spain and north Africa (see map). On my one visit to Alcala in mid-winter I saw, and intermittently at that, only a handful coming into roost in the evening suggesting only a tiny % of the local population winter here (>5%?). They do start arriving early, though, with the first few migrants appearing in the south in late January (most likely from north, rather than sub-saharan, Africa). Numbers crossing the straits peak in the second half of March, but in Alcala they're around in force by mid-February. Eggs are incubated for about 28 days and fledging continues for another 28 days. My main reference (BWP p288) suggests that egg laying is mainly in May, with a few early clutches in April and late ones in June. This seems surprisingly late as birds are certainly actively investigating nest holes next to our place in late February and come mid-April (when next we tend to be there) females seem to be sitting fairly 'tight'. After the young have fledged come August most birds have dispersed into the surrounding countryside and comparatively few return to roost in the village. The bulk of birds head south during the latter half of September and by November almost all have gone. In winter they are even more sociable with some roosts numbering thousands of birds with the record being held by a roost of an amazing 28,600 birds found in Senegal in January 2007! (See http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3589 )
Food delivery - a nice juicy shrew served up by a male Four or five pairs breed in the old bastion, part of the ancient town walls, next to the house and on warm spring evening it's not unusual to see 30 or 40 birds over our house and in excess of a hundred over the whole village. Indeed I usually get 100+ at least once over our terrace at that time although 50-60 is more often the maximum. I've never made a serious attempt to estimate the population, but given a majority of the birds that swarm over the village in spring are males – the females do most of the incubation – I'd guess that there must be at least 70 pairs and probably many more. This would make it one of the larger colonies in Spain. It's certainly one of the best places to see the species there, but don't just take my word for it – this was the opinion of two car loads of Spanish birders who rolled up outside our house one year. Actually, they got it a little wrong as they claimed the roadside outside our house was the best place when, in reality, it's sitting on our terrace supping cool beer in the shade!
Watching from the terrace I often get to see what prey the birds bring in – mainly crickets and centipedes with the odd shrew or mouse. Detailed studies have found that in Spain well over 90% of food items are invertebrates with grasshoppers & crickets making up over 60% and beetles over 20%, but only 4% vertebrates (mostly small mammals). However, by weight vertebrates made up over a third of their prey. Birds in Alcala seem to particularly like large yellow and black centipedes (although only as 1% of recorded prey). Elsewhere mole crickets are important prey items and there are certainly plenty in the Alcala area.
Watching from the terrace I often get to see what prey the birds bring in – mainly crickets and centipedes with the odd shrew or mouse. Detailed studies have found that in Spain well over 90% of food items are invertebrates with grasshoppers & crickets making up over 60% and beetles over 20%, but only 4% vertebrates (mostly small mammals). However, by weight vertebrates made up over a third of their prey. Birds in Alcala seem to particularly like large yellow and black centipedes (although only as 1% of recorded prey). Elsewhere mole crickets are important prey items and there are certainly plenty in the Alcala area.
Female Lesser Kestrel - note whitish claws An adult male Lesser Kestrel is, given a half decent view, fairly easy to tell from its common cousin. Apart from the pale throat, the whole head is a clean pale bluish-grey with only a hint of a shadow where Commons have their dark moustache. The back is unmarked warm chestnut as are the lesser and median wing coverts whilst the greater coverts are pale grey (often sullied with chestnut) forming a grey panel on the closed wing. Below the chest and belly are a gorgeous pale peachy buff with only few large dark roundish dots along the flanks. This sounds more complex than it really is and my non-birding wife simply sums it up with the comment that “They're just prettier and sweeter looking than ordinary kestrels”! From below, as they fly overhead, the obvious feature of the males are the whitish almost unmarked underwing set off by duskier wingtips and rear edge to the wings. Extended central tail feathers (like a juvenile skua!) are good indication, but not 100% diagnostic. The pale grey panel on the wing on adult males is diagnostic, but, as noted above, in some birds it can be quite sullied with brownish tones making it hard to see, even with binoculars, much above 40m unless the light is exceptionally good. Females and immatures are much harder and closely resemble Common Kestrel. Famously the pale whitish claws (its commoner cousins have black ones) is often held up as the ID feature, bit if you're that close you should already have noted the paler cheek, less well marked 'moustache' and, above all, that the wings just about reach the thick dark terminal band on the tail (in Common Kestrel they fall well short). The wings (in both sexes) are rounder sometimes giving them a slight resemblance to Sparrowhawk, but flight identification of females/immatures is more tricky and generally needs favourable conditions. The calls are distinctive (see http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Falco-naumanni and below). For more about identification see - http://www.andaluciabirdsociety.org/article-library/comparative-fieldguide/90-comparative-identification-guide-1.html and the slide show that follows:
Lesser Kestrels playing 'tag'! All of the above is fine (I hope!) as far as it goes, but none of it conveys the species' essence as they cavort in the skies above their colony. They exhibit a wonderful chattering joie de vivre which sounds just like infant children in the playground. Heard in isolation the trisyllabic “tchie-tchie-tchie” call can sound a little querulous, but uttered in chorus, as it often is, as the birds swirl about their village colonies its a wonderful life affirming sound (see http://www.xeno-canto.org/149085). And swirling round the colonies in the evenings is a favourite pastime. As they race about, chattering as they go, it is hard not think, perhaps too anthropomorphically, that they're just like small children playing chase in a school playground. Like children they do like to play tag! Common Kestrels only hover when they're intent on catching food, but male Lessers seem to do it just for the hell of it or perhaps, more probably, as a way of saying to potential mates 'Aren't I good, see what I can do!” They certainly have no intention of catching food as they never stoop and frequently hover above an unlikely feeding ground. Playful as ever as one bird hovers, a rival male frequently stoops on them to spoil the show, both birds tumble groundwards before chasing one another, helter-skelter, across the sky. Like many colonial birds, they vocally warn the colony of danger and mob any threats. Larger birds of prey (Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Buzzards, Booted and Short-toed Eagles) tend to be entirely ignored/ I'm told that, elsewhere, Common Kestrels are ignored too, but here I've seen them get quite a hammering from outraged Lessers. Sparrowhawks always get energetically escorted off the premises, but for mayhem laced with sheer terror nothing beats the reception given to Goshawk. When a young Gos 'bounced' the Lessers one morning some years ago every bird in the vicinity gave it a very raucous reception and vigorously chased it off – albeit at a respectful distance. I've yet to see any interaction with the local Peregrines which always seem to keep out of range, perhaps they know the sort of welcome they'd get!
So, if I had to name one bird that, for me, sums up the joys of visiting southern Spain it would be Lesser Kestrel. Other birds are more exotic (Flamingo), more colourful (Bee-eater) or more uniquely Iberian (Azure-winged Magpie), but only Lesser Kestrel has chosen to live amongst us cheek-by-jowl. Living with us in towns and villages obviously suits Lesser Kestrel since the great majority of birds now do so. I'm not sure whether anyone's seriously investigated why this is so, but I'd guess it a mixture of factors – plenty of nesting sites (under eaves, in crumbling walls, etc), relative safety (as long as humans were friendly!) and access to convenient nesting sites near feeding grounds (open grasslands). Living in large colonies they're a gregarious, noisy and, at risk of sounding too anthropomorphic, playful species which makes them all the more interesting to watch. No wonder they're one of my favourite birds!
So, if I had to name one bird that, for me, sums up the joys of visiting southern Spain it would be Lesser Kestrel. Other birds are more exotic (Flamingo), more colourful (Bee-eater) or more uniquely Iberian (Azure-winged Magpie), but only Lesser Kestrel has chosen to live amongst us cheek-by-jowl. Living with us in towns and villages obviously suits Lesser Kestrel since the great majority of birds now do so. I'm not sure whether anyone's seriously investigated why this is so, but I'd guess it a mixture of factors – plenty of nesting sites (under eaves, in crumbling walls, etc), relative safety (as long as humans were friendly!) and access to convenient nesting sites near feeding grounds (open grasslands). Living in large colonies they're a gregarious, noisy and, at risk of sounding too anthropomorphic, playful species which makes them all the more interesting to watch. No wonder they're one of my favourite birds!
RSS Feed
