Common Kestrel Feeding on House Sparrows (1 Viewer)

[ChrisHallamore]

Hi

We have a streaming webcam recording Iberian wild boar at night (http://www.mangolink.com/general/webcams/wildlife/). In the day time the camera is recording the bird activities at the water hole. A common kestrel is hunting house sparrows on a daily basis. you can see a kill on this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWmQMwlnXUA&feature=relmfu

if anybody is interested I will keep you posted

Best regards

Chris

 

[Mal Taylor]

Very interesting Chris. I assume that this Kestrel will continue to hunt Sparrows in this way. More like the hunting method used by the Eurasian Sparrowhawk than that of the Kestrel.

 

[ChrisHallamore]

Very interesting Chris. I assume that this Kestrel will continue to hunt Sparrows in this way. More like the hunting method used by the Eurasian Sparrowhawk than that of the Kestrel.

There is a scientific study of common kestrels in Algeria where 50 % of the diet comprised of bird kills. This kestrel is following that trend. I always assumed that rodents were their main source of food. In Africa wherever there were big quantiles of birds (doves or quelias) drinking at isolated water points there would be resident
falcons taking advantage of an easy kill. Here in Spain with comparatively little or no wildlife we have created a waterhole with similar results

 

[Nightranger]

Kestrels have been known to hunt birds in the UK too although it is predominantly ground-feeding birds such as starlings, house sparrows and (commonest) blackbirds that are taken. Kestrels will try to hunt sparrowhawk-style but they have to catch the prey by surprise because they are nothing like as agile on the wing as the sparrowhawk once the prey has taken flight.