Welcome annual visitors to Hanover , the pretty little raptors roost in many of the trees of the town while they enjoy the summer weather before heading back to their breeding grounds in Europe and northern Asia . Huge flocks of these migratory birds can be seen wheeling above Hanover early in the morning and at dusk.

There has been a decline in the numbers of Lesser Kestrels in the last 20 to 30 years and the bird is listed as “Globally Vunerable”. The species is monitored in South Africa by the Migrating Kestrel Project which was initiated by Hein Pienaar in 1994 under the Raptor Conservation Group (now called the Bird of Prey Working Group). The project includes work on the Lesser Ketrel (Falco naumanni), Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) and Redfooted Falcon (Falco vespertinus).

For more information about monitoring and photos of the Lesser Kestrel, click here: www.kestreling.com

Species accounts: Lesser Kestrel account on GRIN
Taxonomy: The Lesser Kestrel has only once race.
Distribution: South western and southern Europe, North west Africa, east to Northern Mongolia, and in south to Middle East, Transcaspia and China (east to Shanxi). Winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
Behaviour:In wintering grounds, often seen at an eruption of a food source (for example, alate termites, locust swarms) swooping and gliding as they catch food and eat it on the wing.
General Notes: Well known, a huge amount of work coming out in the 1990s when this bird was classified as Vulnerable in the Red Data Book. Most of this work is from Europe and there is a lot of scope to do more work on these birds in their wintering grounds.

From site of University of Michigan Zoology Museum:

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Falco_naumanni.html

Falco naumanni
lesser kestrel

`1/0802:54:36.994 US /Eastern`

By Kirsten McDonnell

Geographic Range

The lesser kestrel breeds in the palearctic in Europe and northern Asia roughly between 30 and 50 degrees North latitude. The distribution includes altitudes of up to 500m above sea level. It is a migratory species, spending its winter in Africa, south of the Sahara . From February to April this bird is most numerous in northern Tanzania and southern Kenya .

Habitat

Lesser kestrels are found in bushed, wooded, and open grassland and cultivation. They nest on mountain slopes, gorges, deep ravines, and other rocky terrain, all of which must have open areas around them for the birds to hunt. They are found most numerously in highland farming regions and on grassy plains during the winter range.

Physical Description

This small falcon has a length of 30-36 cm with long pointed wings. The long tail has a broad black terminal band. This falcon has strong sexual dimorphism in its plumage. Males have a chestnut back and a blue-grey crown, neck, rump, and tail. Their belly is a creamy pink with small brown streaks. The eye ring is bright yellow while the feet are an orange-yellow. The undersides of the wings are white with a black tip. Females have a brown back and head with a pale belly. Both the back and belly are streaked with brown. The wings are also light with dark barring and black tips. Juvenile lesser kestrels look similar to the females.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs during the months of March through June. Kestrels do not build nests. Instead they lay their eggs in a depression they scrape in the trees of the nesting location. They breed in colonies of up to 100 pairs. Females invest more time in nesting activities than males. Kestrels have a normal clutch size of 4 to 6, laid over a two day interval, but the range in number of eggs is 1 to 7. Incubation starts after the third egg is laid and lasts 28 to 31 days. Because incubation is delayed until the after the third egg, the first three eggs usually hatch on the same day with the rest following in the next couple of days. This means the last bird hatched is smaller than the rest. The difference in size allows the brood to be reduced by sibling rivalry if sources of food are short. Kestrel nestlings have been seen to kill and eat brood-mates, but most deaths occur because of failure to compete for food. Parents continue to feed their young for 2 to 4 weeks after hatching.

Behavior

Lesser kestrels are gregarious, usually found in loose flocks. They roost communally in trees. Sometimes thousands of birds are found together in the same tree. They fly with light shallow wing beats and lots of gliding. Kestrels spend a large amount of time displaying in order to maintain their pair bond and fighting to defend their territory. They migrate singly or in small flocks of 40 to 50 birds at about 2,000m above sea level.

The call is a high-pitched ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki.

Food Habits

Kestrels are carnivorous, feeding on small mammals, especially voles, however they are very adaptable to other prey selections. They will eat almost anything they can kill. Their selected prey is either the most abundant or most easily caught of the area. Other prey examples are young rabbits, birds, small bats, lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, earthworms, fish, and crabs. Kestrels can change their hunting style depending on the kind of prey, weather conditions, and their energy requirements. These predators take full advantage of their keen eyesight, sharp claws, and strong beak. They hunt from a perch or from the air. The vertebrate prey is pounced on from a rapid dive, then grabbed by the claws and killed by a bite to the base of the skull. Attacks on less active prey results from slow shallow dives where the kestrel lands and takes the prey directly into its beak.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

This bird eats mice and insects that damage human crops.

Conservation Status

There still is not complete data on the distribution of the lesser kestrel. This information is needed in order to adequately conserve the species. Important subjects to study include problems with the foraging habitat, pesticide contamination affecting reproduction success and food availability, problems with breeding colonies, winter ecology and how to develop and coordinate an international conservation strategy. The winter distribution seems to be the most unknown.

Trends in the breeding populations of the lesser kestrel clearly show this species is seriously threatened worldwide. This bird is protected by law, but not all of the breeding sites are in protected areas. Legal protection of all sites is necessary for conservation because most of the causes of death are hunting or taking young from the nests.

Estimations of the abundance of the lesser kestrel show that breeding numbers have dropped by 95% since the 1950's. Sharp declines are especially obvious in its European range. A marked decrease in breeding range appeared all over Europe, most notably in Poland , Czechoslovakia , and Austria where lesser kestrels are no longer breeding.

Other Comments

Besides hunting, pesticides and predation are other causes of death in lesser kestrel populations.

For More Information

Find Falco naumanni information at

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Kirsten McDonnell (author), University of Michigan .
Dea Armstrong (editor), University of Michigan .

References

Iankov, P., T. Petrov, T. Michev, L. Profirov. 1994. Past and present status of the Lesser Kestrel Falco Naumanni in Bulgaria . Raptor Conservation Today: 133-137.

Negro, J., F. Hiraldo. 1993. Nest-site selection and breeding success in the Lesser Kestrel Falco Naumanni. Bird Study, 40 (2): 115-119.

Paterson , A. 1991. Lesser Kestrel hunting bats. British Birds, 84 (4): 151.

Village, A. 1990. The Kestrel. London : T & A D Poyser.

Zimmerman, D., D. Turner, D. Pearson. 1996. Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania . London : Cristopher Helm.

Zollinger, R., W. Hagemeijer. 1994. The Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni: review of the status of a globally threatened species. Raptor Conservation Today: 219-228.

2009/11/08 02:54:38.035 US /Eastern

To cite this page: McDonnell, K. 2000. "Falco naumanni" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 13, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Falco_naumanni.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.