About the Grey Kestrel
The grey kestrel is an African bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. Its closest relatives are the banded kestrel and Dickinson's kestrel and the three are sometimes placed in the subgenus Dissodectes.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Grey Kestrel lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Congo - Brazzaville, Mauritania.
When to see the Grey Kestrel
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Red-necked FalconFalco chicqueraThe red-necked falcon is a medium-sized, long-winged species with a bright rufous crown and nape.
Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonoraeEleonora's falcon is a bird of prey, 36–42 cm (14–17 in) long with an 87–104 cm (34–41 in) wingspan.
Black FalconFalco subnigerThe information in this section is based on recent descriptions by several authors (notably, Debus & Davies 2012, Debus & Olsen 2011, Morcombe 2002 and Birds in Backyards n.d.).
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