Raptors

There are 15 species of raptor found in the UK. Only 10 are resident here all year round. The other 5 are migrant birds.It is wonderful to see that the re introduction of the Red Kite back into the UK has been a success.

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Kestrel

Kestrels are common and widespread throughout the UK.They have a signature hovering technique when hunting.

Male and Female

Female

Male

Female and Male

Male offering his catch to the Female

Kestrel

Sparrow Hawk

Sparrowhawks are small birds of prey. They're adapted for hunting birds in confined spaces like dense woodland, so gardens are ideal hunting grounds for them. Adult male Sparrowhawks have a bluish-grey back and wings and orangey-brown stripes on their chest and belly. Females and young birds have brown back and wings, and brown stripes underneath. Sparrowhawks have bright yellow or orangey eyes, yellow legs and talons. Females are larger than males, as with all birds of prey.

Sparrow Hawk

Buzzard

The buzzards shown here are not all native to the UK. The common or Steppe Buzzard is local to the UK and also found across other parts of the world.The Jackal Buzzard is from Africa.

Jackal Buzzard

Steppe Buzzard

Lanner Falcon

The Falcon family is always associated with speed.They are incredibly nimble birds that that can change direction and accelerate in the blink of an eye.

Lanner Falcon

Marsh Harrier

The Marsh Harrier is a medium-sized raptor and has is the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are found near marshland and dense reedbeds as they hunt for food. They feed mainly on frogs, small mammals and birds, such as moorhen and coot.

Marsh Harrier

Red Kite

The Red Kite was completely extinct in the England and Scotland in the 1800s. They have been successfully reintroduced in the 1980s and 1990s and they now have a estabilshed a population that is increasing year on year.