SparrowHawk or Kestrel? (1 Viewer)

[SimonK]

Hi all,

The other day my mother-in-law found a pile of collared dove feathers on the driveway (in a country garden), and as we have sparrowhawks around, I said that it was most likely a sparrowhawk that took it. Now one of her friends was telling her that it must have been a Kestrel, as the dove is too big for the spawk (She took offence when I said that was not correct).

So I just wondered if I was correct in my assumption that it WAS most likely a Spawk that nabbed it, not a Kestrel. You know what it's like; you start to doubt yourself when someone says differently!

cheers
-Si

 

[Isurus]

Hi all,

The other day my mother-in-law found a pile of collared dove feathers on the driveway (in a country garden), and as we have sparrowhawks around, I said that it was most likely a sparrowhawk that took it. Now one of her friends was telling her that it must have been a Kestrel, as the dove is too big for the spawk (She took offence when I said that was not correct).

So I just wondered if I was correct in my assumption that it WAS most likely a Spawk that nabbed it, not a Kestrel. You know what it's like; you start to doubt yourself when someone says differently!

cheers
-Si

I would concur with your view.

 

[John Chap]

Hi all,

The other day my mother-in-law found a pile of collared dove feathers on the driveway (in a country garden), and as we have sparrowhawks around, I said that it was most likely a sparrowhawk that took it. Now one of her friends was telling her that it must have been a Kestrel, as the dove is too big for the spawk (She took offence when I said that was not correct).

So I just wondered if I was correct in my assumption that it WAS most likely a Spawk that nabbed it, not a Kestrel. You know what it's like; you start to doubt yourself when someone says differently!

cheers
-Si

Dear Simon

Would not like to what rapture killed the dove, but Kestrel is too small to kill such a large bird.

I have spawks in my area and I have seen them take a collared dove no problem.

Hope this helps


Regards




John C

 

[robinm]

You are quite right - almost certainly a Sparrowhawk. Not a Kestrel.

 

[SimonK]

You are quite right - almost certainly a Sparrowhawk. Not a Kestrel.

Thanks everyone,

It's good to know I'm not going completely insane!

-Si

 

[IanF]

Same here :t:

Female Sprrowhawk most likely as it's larger than the male. We regularly get them taking Collared Dove and occasionally feral pigeon. The male seems to stick to the smaller birds, usually House Sparrow though sometimes Greenfinch and occasionally Goldfinch on the sunflower hearts feeders.

Kestrel we rarely get over the garden and in the countryside I've only ever seen them take mice/voles - though I dare say they do get the odd small bird but nothing the size of a Collared Dove.

 

[Mouldy]

Not so long back stumbled across a Sparrowhawk with a freshly killed Woodpigeon, and saw a large female attacking a Pheasant (albeit unsuccessfully) so wouldn't see a collared Dove being much of a problem.
Biggest thing I've seen a Kestrel take is a Starling.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Kestrel do sometimes take Collared Dove, but that is an exception (maybe weak birds),
Sparrowhawk does take Collared Dove regularly ... so its much more likely it was a sprawk...

 

[Colin C]

I witnessed a male sprawk attack a collared dove in our garden earlier in the year so they would be easy meat for the female too.

 

[salty]

sparrowhawk is most certainly the culprit.

and like mentioned, a female one at that.

i have never known a kestrel take a bird before, let alone a dove. peregrines do take dove sized birds, and merlin will take smaller species, but not kestrels.

 

[Thomas Rainey]

Kestrels will quite often take birds from blue tits up to Blackbirds and inspections of some kestrel castings have on occassion been made up of the birds mentioned.
Rainey

 

[dandare]

I once saw a female Kestrel take a singing male Blackbird clean off a fencepost and carry it in flight for at least 50 metres before i lost sight of it . Only last week i watched one attempt to take a Skylark in flight.

In Leslie Browns excellent book - "British Birds of Prey"(Collins 1976), he mentions that when their usual food supply runs short Kestrels will catch birds, usually small relatively easy prey like fledging Starlings, but have been known to kill larger birds such as adult Moorhens and Godwits.

So while i agree that a female Sprawk is almost certainly the culprit, i don't think that we should completely exclude a Kestrel.

regards
dan

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I once saw a female Kestrel take a singing male Blackbird clean off a fencepost and carry it in flight for at least 50 metres before i lost sight of it . Only last week i watched one attempt to take a Skylark in flight.

In Leslie Browns excellent book - "British Birds of Prey"(Collins 1976), he mentions that when their usual food supply runs short Kestrels will catch birds, usually small relatively easy prey like fledging Starlings, but have been known to kill larger birds such as adult Moorhens and Godwits.

So while i agree that a female Sprawk is almost certainly the culprit, i don't think that we should completely exclude a Kestrel.

regards
dan

Don't forget tail-less Lesser Grey Shrikes. Also on the kestrel menu as demonstrated only a couple of weeks ago.

 

[redeyedvideo]

I've had several discussions with non-birders who think the birds that hover by the side of motorways are Sparrowhawks & they get Kestrels in their garden taking Blue Tits & the like. The article by Simon Barnes in the latest RSPB Birds magazine sums it up a treat!

Here's a Sparrowhawk finishing off a Collared Dove in my garden.

Dave J

 

[JMikeB]

We regularly get Sparrowhawks taking Collared Doves in the garden - always the female. I once saw a Kestrel take an adult Starling but never anything bigger.

 

[Jay23]

They even attempt wood pigeons!

A couple of weeks ago I watched a Spawk flying fast and low across a Norfolk field, as I followed it it hit a wood pigeon hard but failed to make a kill. Not sure who was most surprised, me or the pigeon!