Here’s a recent photo of a Jackdaw and Kestrel fighting. Notice the position of the Kestrel’s head? While he continues to look straight ahead, the rest of his body has twisted completely round to fend off the jackdaw’s attack. The reason he can do this is because they have extra vertebrae (not sure how many) in their necks which allow them to make an almost 180 degree turn of the head. This photo was taken in Stoke Park.
Did You Know?
- Kestrels are raptors. A raptor is a bird that hunts and eats live animals and kills with its feet. Other examples of raptors are falcons ,merlins, harriers, hawks and owls.
- The major cause of death among young kestrels is starvation: only 30-40% survive their first year
- Country kestrels feed almost exclusively on small rodents (particularly voles), but those living in towns will take sparrows instead. To supplement their main diet they will also take a wide variety of other prey, including lizards, earthworms, large insects and even bats!
- Kestrels aren’t as big as they look. An adult weighs on average a mere 220g.