Common Kestrel

The common kestrel is the most familiar small raptor of open country, with a rufous-brown back covered in small black spots and, in the male, a blue-grey head and tail. It hunts by hovering: it hangs almost motionless in the air, scanning the grass for voles. Its head stays virtually still even when the wind shakes its body, like a built-in image stabiliser. A resident, it can be seen all year round on a post or wire along the polders and marshes of the Vendée.