Common Kestrel vs Common Nightingale

Falco tinnunculus comparado com Luscinia megarhynchos

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo Common Kestrel Common Nightingale
Nome científico Falco tinnunculus Luscinia megarhynchos
Ordem Falconiformes Passeriformes
Família Falconidae Muscicapidae
Estado de conservação Least Concern Least Concern
Comprimento 34,0 cm (13.4 in) 16,5 cm (6.5 in)
Envergadura 74,0 cm (29.1 in) 25,0 cm (9.8 in)
Peso 190,0 g (6.70 oz) 21,0 g (0.74 oz)
Dieta Primarily voles and mice, also lizards, large insects, and small birds. Hunts by hovering at … Insects and larvae, supplemented with berries in autumn. Forages on or near the ground in …
Tamanho da postura 1-7 4-5
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Common Kestrel 34,0 cm
Common Nightingale 16,5 cm
Envergadura
Common Kestrel 74,0 cm
Common Nightingale 25,0 cm
Peso
Common Kestrel 190,0 g
Common Nightingale 21,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partilhados

Common Kestrel only

Common Nightingale only

Common Kestrel

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

Common Nightingale

Dense thickets, scrub, and undergrowth in deciduous woodland. Prefers areas with thick ground cover near water.

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Song & Call Comparison

Common Kestrel

Canto

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.

Common Nightingale

Canto

Considered Europe's finest songster: an extraordinarily rich, loud, flute-like melody of bubbling trills, slow whistles, and a distinctive crescendo 'lu-lu-lu'. Sings day and night.

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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.

Common Nightingale

Breeds in Europe and western Asia. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-distance migrant crossing the Sahara.

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Estado de conservação

Least Concern

Common Kestrel

Least Concern

Common Nightingale

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How to Tell Them Apart

Common Kestrel

Plumagem

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.

Bico

Short, hooked grey bill with a yellow cere

Common Nightingale

Plumagem

Plain warm brown upperparts with a rufous-chestnut tail. Pale greyish-white underparts. Unremarkable appearance belies its remarkable voice.

Bico

Thin, pointed, dark brown bill

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About These Birds

Common Kestrel

Peneireiro-vulgar (Falco tinnunculus) — 32-38 cm. Falcão mais comum da Europa e Ásia, reconhecível pelo pairar estacionário com batimento rápido de asas enquanto caça. Macho com cabeça e cauda cinzentas e dorso castanho avermelhado manchado; fêmea mais barrada. Habita campos abertos, zonas costeiras e áreas urbanas. Alimenta-se de pequenos mamíferos, insetos e lagartos.

Common Nightingale

The common nightingale is celebrated as one of the finest songsters in the bird world, inspiring poets from Homer to Keats. Males sing complex phrases of over 250 different types, often at night during breeding season. Despite its famous song, the nightingale is a plain-looking bird that skulks in dense vegetation.

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