Falcon UK (1 Viewer)

[IanF]

I guess this is just a 'dark phase' Kestrel if there is such a thing. I've never seen one as dark as this before.

I came across this bird this morning. It was sat behind a grassy tuft on the top step of a fence stile. The first photo is as it took off.

Below it was very dark coloured streaks and from above dark brown almost black though wing tips from above appeared darker than the rest of the body.

In flight behaviour was Kestrel-like with much stationary hovering.

An hour later it was on the saltmarsh grassed areas behind the sand dunes apparently catching caterpillars or maybe beetles from the way it was walking around.

Lousy photos but it was blowing a gale at the time which may also explain it's feeding behaviour.

 

[KnockerNorton]

It's a melanistic kestrel alright. Quite unusual. They don't have dark phases. Just normal and abnormal - yours is the latter!

 

[chowchilla]

It's a melanistic kestrel alright. Quite unusual. They don't have dark phases. Just normal and abnormal - yours is the latter!

Agreed. Nice looking bird!

 

[IanF]

Thanks for that :t:

 

[Keith Glasgow]

Lovely bird. I've taken the liberty of forwarding the photos to someone who studies Kestrels for his opinion - I hope you don't mind. If I get any feedback, I'll let you know.

Young Kestrels can be quite dark. Could it have been a young bird? I'm only guessing - either way, it's very interesting.

Keith.

 

[IanF]

Lovely bird. I've taken the liberty of forwarding the photos to someone who studies Kestrels for his opinion - I hope you don't mind. If I get any feedback, I'll let you know.

Young Kestrels can be quite dark. Could it have been a young bird? I'm only guessing - either way, it's very interesting.

Keith.

My first htoughts were of it being a young bird but I've nevers een one anything like as dark as this - could be just I haven't lived

It will be interesting to hear any feedback.

 

[Atricapilla]

Great capture Ian,its a new one for me as well,thanks for sharing.

 

[KnockerNorton]

Looks like a gap in the primaries - I can't see 10 of them anyway - which makes it an adult in moult.

 

[Jan-Paul Charteris]

Didn't the good old macmillan guide have a little illustration of a melanistic kestrel as a confusion species with Red-foot? Maybe the kestrel thought it'd try to be confusing with all the RFFs that've been about lately ;-) I saw a kestrel very similar to this if not darker at Rainham Marshes a good 12 or 13 years years ago. Quite a smart bird

 

[Motmot]

Never seen one like this! Thanks for sharing

 

[rokermartin]

I can remember there was a very dark kestrel in Yorshire a few years ago and it was being reported as a Red footed Falcon.

 

[Keith Glasgow]

Lovely bird. I've taken the liberty of forwarding the photos to someone who studies Kestrels for his opinion - I hope you don't mind. If I get any feedback, I'll let you know.

Young Kestrels can be quite dark. Could it have been a young bird? I'm only guessing - either way, it's very interesting.

Keith.

As promised, Gordon Riddle (author of Seasons with the Kestrel) replied;

"I agree with you that it is doubtful that the bird is Melanistic.There
is quite a range in kestrel plumage and I have seen birds as dark as the
one illustrated.It would need to be a lot darker to qualify."


Keith.

 

[rob stoff]

As promised, Gordon Riddle (author of Seasons with the Kestrel) replied;

"I agree with you that it is doubtful that the bird is Melanistic.There
is quite a range in kestrel plumage and I have seen birds as dark as the
one illustrated.It would need to be a lot darker to qualify."


Keith.

why? there are degrees of melanism surely, this bird appears to exhibit excessive melanin in the plumage and is therefore melanistic, no?

Rob

 

[IanF]

Cheers Keith. There's lots of Kestrels around my area but it's the first one I've seen anything like as dark as this - whatever the cause.