Greater kestrel

Description

The greater kestrel ( greater kestrel Smith,1829 ) is a bird falconiforme the family of Falconidae.It is one of the largest species of kestrels and is widespread in the open soils of southern and eastern Africa.The adult plumage is generally light reddish,both above and below.The back,the wings and the sides are marked by black stripes.The chest has a series of dark stripes,as well as the head,where,however,there are not the characteristic "whiskers" typical of the common kestrel and the grillaio.The rump and the tail are gray with black stripes;the tail has a white end.In flight,the white of the undertail contrasts with the darker colors of the rest of the body.The iris is whitish and this characteristic is useful to distinguish the bird from any other similar species.The beak is predominantly blue-gray and the legs and wax are yellow.The young specimens they have a reddish tail,instead of gray,with striped sides and dark eyes.The big kestrel is 29-37 cm long and has a wingspan of 68-84 cm.The specimens of the subspecies F.r.rupicoloides weigh about 181-334 g.The form F.r.arthuri is smaller (165-252 g).Also the northern one,F.r.fieldi,has smaller dimensions and also has a lighter color than the others.The species is usually silent,but sometimes emits a series of repeated cries.