Eleonora's Falcon vs Grey Kestrel

Eleonora's Falcon

Falco eleonorae

Large390 gCoastal

Eleonora's falcon is a bird of prey, 36–42 cm (14–17 in) long with an 87–104 cm (34–41 in) wingspan. It is shaped like a large Eurasian hobby or a small slender peregrine falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body. There are two colour morphs: The adult dark morph is all sooty brown, with black underwing coverts. The light morph is more like a juvenile Eurasian hobby, but has buff underparts, and also shows the contrast between the black underwing coverts and paler base to the flight feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Σταυρούλα Χρήστος · CC BY 4.0

Grey Kestrel

Falco ardosiaceus

Medium234 gWoodland

It is a fairly small, stocky kestrel with a large, flat-topped head and fairly short wings that don't reach past the tip of the tail when at rest. It is 28–33 cm long with a wingspan of 58–72 cm and a weight of up to 300 grams. The female is 4-11% larger and 5-11% heavier than the male. The plumage of the adult is uniformly dark grey apart from darker wingtips, faint dark streaking on the body and slightly barred flight feathers. The feet and cere are yellow and there is bare yellow skin around the eye.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Neil Strickland · CC0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eleonora's Falcon and Grey Kestrel.