Stuffed Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758)

Order: Falconiformes.

Family: Falconidae.

The stuffed Common Kestrel represents one of the most widespread diurnal birds of prey in Europe and Ukraine. The specimen displays characteristic features of the species: light reddish-brown plumage on the upperparts with dark spots, pale breast and belly marked with longitudinal brown streaks, a short-hooked bill, and long yellow legs with sharp talons. The bird is depicted in a natural alert posture perched on a tree branch with its wings folded, emphasising its characteristic hunting behaviour.

The Common Kestrel inhabits open landscapes, forest edges, agricultural areas, and urban environments. Its diet consists mainly of small rodents, large insects, lizards, and small birds. The species is well known for its ability to hover almost motionless in the air while searching for prey, a behaviour reflected in its Ukrainian common name.

The museum specimen has scientific and educational value, illustrating the adaptations of diurnal birds of prey for active hunting and their role in maintaining the natural balance of ecosystems by regulating populations of small animals.

Distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa.

Conservation status: The species is not globally threatened with extinction.

Provenance: The specimen was purchased for the museum from a shop of the Poltava Regional Cultural Goods Trust in 1955.