Injured Kestrel

[Westley Price]

Hi guys

I'm visiting my parents this weekend and this morning my father came across an injured young Kestrel. I think it's a Rock Kestrel.

I'm no sure what's wrong with it, but it doesn't fly at all and the wings are both intact. Alo the tips of its tail and wings appear to be sindged and it has trouble breathing so possibly it suffered smoke inhalation.

I gave it some water and lean mince (removed as much fat as I could) and it seems stronger than earlier.

Can anyone please give me some more advice as to how to get this fellow flying again?

[Martin Odd]

Hi Westley.

This looks like a very young Rock Kestrel. Looking at the picture of the tail, it looks intact, but very dirty. Is the birds vent clean? This time of the year, there are lots of 1st year raptors moving around, and being young they are still quite stupid when it comes to survival. They estimate that there is about a 80% mortality rate on 1st year raptors. Your Kestrel is possibly struggling to find food, lost condition and is too weak to fly. She could also have eaten a poisoned prey item and become to weak to fly. Try feed the bird some mice, chopped up to start with, and as the bird gets stronger and can tear prey, maybe move on to whole mice. My Kestrels eat 4 mice or 2 day old chicks a day each. The best thing you can do for the bird is to hand her over to a recognised falconer. They will get the bird right, train the bird to hunt, and eventually release it once it is fit and strong enough. Thats how it would work in the Cape Falconary club. Contact Eagle Encounters at Spier in Stellenbosch, and they will know who to put you in touch with, and give you better advice than I can.

Regards
Martin

[Westley Price]

Thanx for he help Martin, but this morning I found it dead.

At least now it's not suffering and I can honestly say I tried my best.

Thanx for the bit of info.

[Bushviper]

Westley I would guess poison. If it was so weak from not hunting then your meals would have helped it to recover and not cause its death by the next day.

That is sad. I like raptors although not in captivity.

[Martin Odd]

Sorry to hear that westley. With wild birds, we often find that when there is something wrong, any symptons only manifest at the last possible minute, and by then it is often too late. Like BV mentioned, poison is a likely cause. We see that a lot too, and it is terrible. People have to got be so careful with any kind of poison in the enviorment. Even rat poison has an impact. I've got 2 Rock Kestrels at the moment, they are un-fortunatly imprinted on people, and therefore can't be released. They are flying birds though, and most days they get a chance to free fly, and believe me, they are awesome little birds. They're little feathered rockets. They also pack a punch, as one we had many years ago, grabbed a rock pigeon and managed to hang on to it. Not bad for a little bird that weighs in at about 185g.

At least that Kestrel you got ended up with you, where she had the best possible chance.

Regards,
Martin

[Archie Bottoms]

I have rehabilitated imprinted birds into the wild and never a good result so I am glad to here they have a good home.AS SORRY AS i CAN BE FOR THE LITTLE DEAD BIRD.It amazes how much the rock kestrel looks just like an american kestrel

[Martin Odd]

Imprinted birds basically think they are people, and therefore interact with people as if they were their own kind, including competition for food, territory and even sometimes they pair up with their keeper and females will give a mating response if tickled in the right place, and as for males, well they try and tickle you in the right places! Some of the most dangerous birds I have worked with are imprinted eagles, and when they go territorial on you in their aviaries, they can hurt you badly. I've had a talon through my hand before. It often happens that people pick up baby birds (especially owls), not realising that they have just wandered a short distance from the nest and that the parents are still in the area. The result - a bird who thinks he/she is a person.

Archie Bottoms, I used to work at the local Bird Park, and we had Ameican Kestrels there. They are very similar to the Rock Kestrel, just much smaller. But what they lack in size they make up with guts! They'd take on anything!

[armata]

The rock kestrel and European kestrel are the same species (Falco tinnunculus) yes? I don't think there are any sub species as with say the buzzard (Buteo)

[Martin Odd]

Armata, the Rock Kestrel (Falaco t. rupicolus) was a sub species of the European Kestrel (Falco t. tinnunculus), but somebody told me a while ago that the South African Rock Kestrel was re-classified as it's own species. According to the latest Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, the Rock Kestrel is now just (Falco rupiucolus) on the basis of genetic evidence and differences in colouration of the plumage. The Rock Kestrel is a lot darker on the head than the European Kestrel, and the bars on the tails seem much darker on the Rock Kestrel. I've been lucky enough to compare the two species when I was last in England. But I wonder, if that is the case for Kestrels, what about Barn Owls? The European Barn Owl (Tyto a. alba) and the African Barn Owl (Tyto alba affinis) look like two completely different birds, size and colour. European Barn Owls are really beautiful with the pastel colours and snow white breasts. The same can even be said for European / Steppe Buzzards. I suppose as more is discovered about all the different creatures, things will change. Weren't the Egyptian Cobra and the Snouted Cobra seperated.

[Cradle of life]

I have rehabilitated imprinted birds into the wild and never a good result so I am glad to here they have a good home.AS SORRY AS i CAN BE FOR THE LITTLE DEAD BIRD.It amazes how much the rock kestrel looks just like an american kestrel

You can not rehabilitate imprinted birds into the wild - absolutely impossible! I have done this for nearly 30 years and am a A grade falconer as well as rehab. They will go to the nearest person they see when they are hungry as they have zero fear of humans (hence the name Imprint). Socially imprinted birds are another story and can be done if you know what you are doing!
The kestrel probably has organic phosphate poisoning, not much one can do in such a far case at this one was