BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Kestrel

KESTREL
Falco tinnunculus

Conservation Listings

Table 4/Amber (25-49% Population decline)
Biodiversity Steering Group Conservation Concern List

Long term trend

UK: Moderate decline since mid 1970s

Status Summary

Kestrels had recovered from the deleterious effects of organochlorine pesticides by the mid 1970s, the recovery probably driven by improving nesting success, but subsequently declined rapidly. The failure rate at the egg stage (c.28 days from laying the first egg) has declined from 16% to 3%. The population decline has been linked to the effects of agricultural intensification on farmland habitats and small mammal populations (Gibbons et al. 1993). The CBC indicates that abundance has been stable for the last 15 years, but the BBS suggests that a further decline has occurred since 1994.

Table of population changes for Kestrel

Source Period
(yrs) Years Plots
(n) Change
(%) Lower
limit Upper
limit Alert Comment

CBC all habitats 31 1968-1999 80 -4 -28 27

25 1974-1999 85 -28 -45 -6 >25

10 1989-1999 74 4 -11 19

5 1994-1999 72 2 -11 15

BBS UK 6 1994-2000 509 -29 -37 -21 (>25)

BBS England 6 1994-2000 439 -15 -24 -4

BBS Scotland 6 1994-2000 40 -59 -73 -36 (>50) Small sample

The Breeding Bird Survey is jointly funded by BTO, JNCC and RSPB

Table of productivity information for Kestrel

Variable Period
(yrs) Years Mean
annual
sample Trend Predicted
in first year Predicted
in last year Change Comment

Clutch size 31 1968-1999 53 None

Brood size 31 1968-1999 113 Linear increase 3.81 chicks 4.17 chicks 0.36 chicks

Daily failure rate (eggs) 31 1968-1999 41 Linear decline 0.0064 nests/day 0.0009 nests/day -0.0055 nests/day

Daily failure rate (chicks) 31 1968-1999 62 None

Laying date 31 1968-1999 21 None Small sample

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Crick, H.Q.P., Balmer, D.E., Beaven, L.P., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Leech, D.I., Marchant, J.H.,
Noble, D.G., Raven, M.J., Simpkin, A.P., Thewlis, R.M. and Wernham, C.V. (2002) Breeding Birds in the Wider
Countryside: their conservation status 2001. BTO Research Report No. 278. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

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