From Opus

Alternative name: Nankeen Kestrel

Male Australian Kestrel
Photo by Neil
Sydney, Australia

Falco cenchroides

[edit] Identification

31cm (Male) to 35 cm (female).
Rufous or brown above, white or off-white below, black tail tip
Male: grey head and tail
Female: pale rufous head and paler rufous tail and has blackspot in each feather.

[edit] Distribution

Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Female
Photo by davidfree
Cottesloe, Western Australia, July 2008

There are 2 subspecies;

• F. c. cenchroides:

• Australian region; winters New Guinea to Java and Moluccas

• F. c. baru:

• Montane forests of west-central New Guinea

[edit] Habitat

Temperate grasslands and open woodlands, coastal cliffs and dunes, towns and cities. Often seen on telegraph poles or dead trees. Possibly the most widely recorded bird in Australia

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects, small birds and reptiles and mice.

Photo by jimmclean
Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia, March 2008

[edit] Breeding

They nest in a tree hollow, cliff ledge or disused corvid's nest; 3-7 eggs are laid and are incubated by the female for 26 to 28 days. The male brings food.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Wikipedia
3. The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds

• List of references

[edit] External Links