Skip to main content

Greater Kestrel

Falco rupicoloides
Unsurprisingly, the Greater Kestrel is one of the largest Kestrel Species (though they are still small overall when compared to other birds of prey.) These members of the Falcon family measure jsut over 1ft in length, and have a wingspan of around 2.5ft.

Greater Kestrels have a range that extends across Southern and Eastern Africa. They inhabit open tracts of land, including savanna and semi-desert locations. These birds share their range with other Kestrel species, but can be identified by their larger size, white eyes, pale reddish coloring, and the dark bars that extend down their wings and tail. Males and females have identical plumage.

When it comes to hunting, the Great Kestrels wait on high perches, using their sharp eyes to locate prey in the brush below. They most commonly hunt ground-dwelling animals like lizards, insects, and rodents, but they will also occasionally catch birds in flight.

Speaking of flight, the male Kestrels put one some pretty spectacular aerial shows when it comes time to snag a mate. They dive, roll, and hover in place in hopes to attract a lady. Showing off their silvery under-wings is quite the turn on!

After breeding the eggs (up to 7 of them!) will be laid in an old nest built by another bird species. Why build your own when there are perfectly good nests just sitting around? The female does all of the incubating, and the chicks will stay with their parents for about 2 months.

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Southern and Eastern Africa
Size : Body Length up to 14.5in (37cm), Wingspan up to 33in (84cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes
Family : Falconidae -- Genus : Falco -- Species : F. rupicoloides
Image : Frank Vassen

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent