%2020.jpg)
The Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species that belongs to the falcon family Falconidae. This species occurs over a large range and in Britain, where no other kestrel species commonly occurs, it is generally just called "kestrel".
Common kestrels are small compared with other raptors, but larger than most songbirds. They are mainly light chestnut brown in color with blackish spots on the upperside and buff with narrow blackish streaks on the underside; the remiges are also blackish. The males have fewer black spots and streaks and their cap and tail are blue-grey. The tail is brown with black bars in females and has a black tip with a narrow white rim in both sexes. All Common kestrels have a prominent black malar stripe like their closest relatives. The cere, feet, and a narrow ring around the eye are bright yellow; the toenails, bill, and iris are dark. Juveniles look like adult females, but the underside streaks are wider; the yellow of their bare parts is paler.
