Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Nankeen kestrel
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | image = Falco cenchroides - Bushell's Lagoon.jpg | image_caption = In flight | image2 = Falco cenchroides Flickr.jpg| | image2_caption = Female | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Falco cenchroides'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22696391A93558789 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22696391A93558789.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Falco | species = cenchroides | authority = [[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]] & [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1827 }} The '''nankeen kestrel''' ('''''Falco cenchroides'''''), also known as the '''Australian kestrel''', is a raptor native to Australia and New Guinea. It is one of the smallest [[falcon]]s, and unlike many, does not rely on speed to catch its prey. Instead, it simply perches in an exposed position, but it also has a distinctive technique of hovering over crop and grasslands. == Taxonomy == The nankeen kestrel is a species of the genus ''Falco'', allied to a subgenus ''Tinnunculus''. They were first described by [[Nicholas Vigors]] and [[Thomas Horsfield]] in 1827. Further descriptions β regarded as synonyms for the species β were published: ''Cerchneis immaculata'' Brehm, 1845; the later name ''Cerchneis unicolor'' by [[Alexander Milligan]] was published in ''[[Emu (journal)|Emu]]'' in 1904; and that author's name appearing in the assignment to a subspecies, ''Cerchneis cenchroides milligani'', published by [[Gregory Mathews]] in 1912.<ref name="ALA">{{cite web |title=Falco (Tinnunculus) cenchroides : Nankeen Kestrel |website=Atlas of Living Australia |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:a1f58df1-828a-4932-a022-fe68c106d5dc#names |access-date=18 October 2018 |language=en-AU}}</ref> The generic name is [[Late Latin]] ''falco'' 'falcon' (from ''falx'' ''falcis'', 'sickle') and the specific epithet is derived from [[Ancient Greek]] ''kenkhris'' 'kestrel' and ''-oides'' 'resembling'. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling| title=Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird-names|last=Jobling |first=James A. |year=2010 |access-date = 2020-07-14}}</ref> The common names Mosquito Hawk, Kestrel, Windhover, Hoverer are cited in the [[Australian Faunal Directory]].<ref name="ALA" /><ref name=Pizzey></ref> Its common descriptor refers to the colour of [[nankeen]] cloth, originally a yellowish cotton from Nankeen or Nanking (modern [[Nanjing]]), China.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary</ref> This bird is thought to be a very close relative of the [[Eurasian kestrel]] (''Falco tinnunculus''), and probably also the [[spotted kestrel]] (''Falco moluccensis''). It seems to have evolved from ancestral common kestrels dispersing to the Australian region in the [[Middle Pleistocene]] β less than {{Nowrap|1 million}} years ago β and [[adaptation|adapting]] to local conditions.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Groombridge|first1= Jim J|last2= Jones|first2= Carl G|author-link2= Carl Jones (biologist)|last3= Bayes|first3= Michelle K|last4= van Zyl|first4= Anthony J|last5= Carrillo|first5= JosΓ©|last6= Nichols|first6= Richard A|last7= Bruford|first7= Michael W|title= A molecular phylogeny of African kestrels with reference to divergence across the Indian Ocean|date=October 2002|journal= [[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]]|volume= 25|issue= 2|pages= 267β277|doi= 10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00254-3|pmid=12414309|bibcode= 2002MolPE..25..267G}}</ref> Two subspecies are recognised:<ref name=Gill>{{cite report|editor1=Gill, F. |editor2=D. Donsker|year=2020|title=IOC World Bird List (v 10.1)|doi=10.14344/IOC.ML.10.1|url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ioc-lists/master-list-2/ |access-date=2020-07-14|doi-access=free}}</ref> the nominate subspecies ''Falco cenchroides cenchroides'' is found throughout [[Australia]] and [[Tasmania]], as well as [[Christmas Island]], [[Norfolk Island]], [[Lord Howe Island]], and as a non-breeding visitor to southern [[New Guinea]]; and ''F. c. baru'' Rand, 1940 is found in the [[Snow Mountains]] of west central New Guinea.<ref name=Gill></ref> ==Description== [[Image:Nankeen Kestrel with kill in Botany Bay, 2025.jpg|thumb|With kill in beak, [[Botany Bay]], [[Sydney]]]] [[File:Juvenile Nankeen Kestrel, Carnarvon, Western Australia.jpg|thumb|Juvenile nankeen kestrel, Carnarvon, Western Australia]] The nankeen kestrel is a small, slim falcon {{convert|28|to|35|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long with a wingspan of {{cvt|66 to 78|cm}}.<ref name=Debus>Debus, S. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). "Australian Kestrel (Falco cenchroides), version 1.0." In ''Birds of the World'' (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. {{doi|10.2173/bow.auskes1.01}}</ref> The male weighs {{cvt|121 to 195|g}} while the female weighs {{cvt|115 to 273|g}}.<ref name=Debus></ref> It has pale rufous upper-parts with contrasting black flight-feathers and is finely streaked white below, with a black subterminal band.<ref name=Morombe>Morcombe, Michael (2012) ''Field Guide to Australian Birds.'' Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW. Revised edition. {{ISBN|978174021417-9}}</ref> The {{Birdgloss|cere}}, eye-ring, and legs are yellow.<ref name=Pizzey>Pizzey, Graham and Doyle, Roy. (1980) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia''. Collins Publishers, Sydney. {{ISBN|073222436-5}}</ref> The male has a pale grey crown and tail with a darker grey tear-mark, while the female and juvenile have a pale rufous crown and finely barred rufous tail.<ref name=Pizzey></ref> Plumage varies considerably in detail, and some birds can look very scruffy, but the slim build, small size and distinctive straight-winged hovering habit make identification easy. The only other Australasian raptors to hover are the [[elanid kite]]s, which are much lighter in colour and a little larger, and the [[brown falcon]], which is much larger and more heavily built, and hovers only occasionally. Altogether, the nankeen kestrel looks just like a pale, less patterned, and smaller derivate of the Eurasian kestrel, which it indeed is (see [[Gloger's Rule]], [[Bergmann's Rule]]).{{cn|date=October 2018}} ==Distribution and habitat== A very common and easily seen raptor, the nankeen kestrel is found in [[Australia]], [[New Guinea]], and nearby islands, and is an irregular visitor to [[New Zealand]]. It occupies any type of land that is not too densely vegetated, but in particular temperate grasslands and open woodlands. In the tropical north and the sandy deserts of the west, it has a patchy and seasonal distribution. It can be seen in Western Australia on coastal cliffs and windy conditions. Also seen on phone lines and power lines. Like many Australian birds, it has no clear [[bird migration|migratory]] pattern: in the grasslands of the south, established pairs are resident year-round, but many other birds migrate north during the austral winter, or roam the arid interior following food supplies. Typically seen singly or in pairs, they can aggregate into loose flocks of up to 30 when conditions are right. Pairs are typically monogamous and may or may not disperse to different areas during the non-breeding season. The nest is any convenient structure: a tree hollow, cliff ledge or disused corvid's nest, for example, and is not modified or added to by the kestrels. ==Feeding== [[File:Nankeen Kestrel Waverton edit.jpg|thumb|upright|About to pounce]] Diet is varied, with a large number of insects, but also small birds and [[reptiles]], and in particular, small [[rodents]], mostly [[mice]]. Nankeen kestrels are adaptable and hunt in a number of different ways: of these, simply perching in an exposed position (such as on a dead tree or a telephone pole) and watching for prey is the most common, but it is their habit of hovering motionless over crop and grasslands that is most distinctive. ==Breeding== Three to seven eggs are laid in late winter (usually about four) and incubated by the female alone. Hatching takes place after 26 to 28 days, and the male brings food while the female continues to incubate until the young are close to fledging, at which time the female leaves the nest to hunt for them too. Multiple broods are raised in good seasons. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== *{{cite book |year=1993 | chapter=''Falco cenchroides'' Australian kestrel | editor1-last=Marchant | editor1-first=S. | editor2-last=Higgins | editor2-first=P.J. | title=Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds Volume 2, Raptors to Lapwings | place=Melbourne, Victoria | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-553069-8 | pages=253β267 | chapter-url=http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/files/164_Nankeen%20Kestrel.pdf }} ==External links== {{Commonscat|Falco cenchroides}} *[https://ebird.org/species/auskes1 Photos, audio and video of nankeen kestrel] from [[Cornell Lab of Ornithology]]'s Macaulay Library *[https://www.xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Nankeen%20kestrel Recordings of nankeen kestrel] from Xeno-canto sound archive *[http://www.wingspan.co.nz/vagrant_birds_of_prey_new_zealand_nankeen_kestrel.html Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust]- Rare vagrants to New Zealand {{Taxonbar|from=Q782104}} [[Category:Falco (genus)|nankeen kestrel]] [[Category:Diurnal raptors of Australia]] [[Category:Birds described in 1827|nankeen kestrel]] [[Category:Birds of Norfolk Island]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:Birdgloss
(
edit
)
Template:Cite book
(
edit
)
Template:Cite journal
(
edit
)
Template:Cite report
(
edit
)
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Cn
(
edit
)
Template:Commonscat
(
edit
)
Template:Convert
(
edit
)
Template:Cvt
(
edit
)
Template:Doi
(
edit
)
Template:ISBN
(
edit
)
Template:Nowrap
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:Short description
(
edit
)
Template:Speciesbox
(
edit
)
Template:Taxonbar
(
edit
)