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Nature » Fauna KestrelFalco tinnunculus  Size: length
30-35 cm, wingspan 70-80 cm. How long it lives: 15 years. Habitat: almost in any habitat, from sea-level to the highest altitudes, except in very thick woods; it prefers open spaces. What it eats: its diet mainly consists of small mammals, (mice, voles, moles, squirrels) and, to a lesser extent, of birds captured on the ground, lizards, insects. Reproduction: wedding parades start at the end of the winter. Like other hawks, it does not build a nest, but lays its eggs in cavities or on protrusions of trees, rock-faces, or buildings, even if inhabited. In April the female lays 4-6 eggs, which are hatched for about a month. Chicks: they are born in May-June, and, like all raptor chicks, must be fed by the mother for about three weeks. After over one month they learn to fly, but they still spend a few weeks near the nest, where they are fed by their parents and learn to hunt. Curiosities: it is a "gliding" specialist, since it can remain hanging in the air, always on the same spot, like a helicopter: with its body vertical, its tail like a fan, its wings exploiting the wind or rapidly flapping, while scanning the ground in search of a prey. Remarks: it is an elegant little hawk, easy to sight while it is standing motionless in the sky in its classic "holy spirit" position. It is the most common raptor in Europe, adapting to live in the most different habitats, even in contact with man. In the Park: throughout the territory. |
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