Common Kestrel vs vautour fauve

Falco tinnunculus comparé à Gyps fulvus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Common Kestrel vautour fauve
Nom scientifique Falco tinnunculus Gyps fulvus
Ordre Falconiformes Accipitriformes
Famille Falconidae Accipitridae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur 34,0 cm (13.4 in) 100,0 cm (39.4 in)
Envergure 74,0 cm (29.1 in) 260,0 cm (102.4 in)
Poids 190,0 g (6.70 oz) 8500,0 g (299.83 oz)
Régime alimentaire Primarily voles and mice, also lizards, large insects, and small birds. Hunts by hovering at … Exclusively carrion, primarily large mammal carcasses. Feeds communally, with groups of vultures able to strip …
Taille de la couvée 1-7 1
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Common Kestrel 34,0 cm
vautour fauve 100,0 cm
Envergure
Common Kestrel 74,0 cm
vautour fauve 260,0 cm
Poids
Common Kestrel 190,0 g
vautour fauve 8500,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Common Kestrel only

vautour fauve only

Common Kestrel

Open country including farmland, grasslands, moorland, and urban areas. Common along motorways and in cities across Europe.

vautour fauve

Mountains, cliffs, and open grasslands. Nests on cliff ledges in colonies. Requires thermals for soaring flight.

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Song & Call Comparison

Common Kestrel

Chant

A shrill, repeated 'kee-kee-kee-kee' or 'kik-ik-ik', especially near nest. Alarm call is a nasal chattering. Generally less vocal than larger falcons. Calls ring clearly in open country.

vautour fauve

Chant

Generally silent; hisses and grunts at carrion with other vultures. Gives low croaking 'arrr' near nest. At colonies produces cackling and grunting — not melodic vocalizations.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Common Kestrel

Europe, Asia, and Africa. One of the most common and widespread raptors in the Old World.

vautour fauve

Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Resident in most of its range.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Common Kestrel

Least Concern

vautour fauve

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How to Tell Them Apart

Common Kestrel

Plumage

Males have a blue-grey head and tail with a rufous back spotted with black. Females are rufous-brown with heavy barring. Both have a dark moustachial stripe.

Bec

Short, hooked grey bill with a yellow cere

vautour fauve

Plumage

Tawny-brown body with darker flight feathers. White neck ruff and bare greyish head. Long broad wings held flat when soaring.

Bec

Hooked yellowish bill adapted for tearing carrion

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About These Birds

Common Kestrel

The common kestrel is Europe's most abundant falcon, famous for its ability to hover motionless in the wind while scanning for prey. Research has shown kestrels can see ultraviolet light, allowing them to detect vole urine trails that reflect UV. The species has adapted remarkably well to urban environments.

vautour fauve

The griffon vulture is one of Europe's largest flying birds and a crucial scavenger in Mediterranean ecosystems. These social birds nest in large cliff colonies and can soar for hours using thermals without flapping. Vulture populations faced a crisis from the veterinary drug diclofenac, which proved fatal when consumed through contaminated carcasses.

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