What bird is this? on yard ...

[MissTyc]

Friend sent me this from her yard

Can anyone identify -- looks like a fluffy baby somethingorother to me - fluffy sparrowhawk? ... Eating baby rats on her yard apparently. Does she need to worry about her bantams?!

 

[Bertolie]

Can't see pic!

 

[Miss L Toe]

Baby Kestrel, looks like it is near to adult plumage though.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kestrel/index.aspx
Kestrels are the smallish birds you see hovering above road sides.

 

[kiteman0]

I would say it's a kestrel.
It won't eat her chickens

 

[MissTyc]

Baby Kestrel, looks like it is near to adult plumage though.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kestrel/index.aspx

Ooooh that was my first thought because of the face but my friend shot it down. Very cute!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

How beautiful that is - and eating rats too )) Not sure about the bantams, buzzards can take them but they are larger. Might be wise to shut them away for a bit tho...

 

[Thistle]

We are surrounded by birds of prey, kestrels, sparrowhawks, buzzards and red kites. I've never lost a bantam to one.

 

[Kadastorm]

looks like a Kestral and its cuuuute!
who needs cats when you have one of these to catch the rats

 

[quirky]

Ooooh that was my first thought because of the face but my friend shot it down. Very cute!

She 'shot it down'

 

[MissTyc]

She 'shot it down'

Bad choice of words!
Will reassure that chickens are probably safe. They're pretty savvy anyway as the magpies will have a go at them!

 

[Dry Rot]

Adult male kestrel. The female and juveniles have a brown head, like the body. The grey head feathers of the adult male only appear during the second summer. Harmless to domestic animals -- unless you keep pet mice on free range.

 

[Tinseltoes]

Another one for KESTREL. Thats 1st thing I thought when I saw the pic.

 

[FionaM12]

Kestrels are actually very small (for a bird of prey) so they catch only tiny beasties.

 

[MissTyc]

Adult male kestrel. The female and juveniles have a brown head, like the body. The grey head feathers of the adult male only appear during the second summer. Harmless to domestic animals -- unless you keep pet mice on free range.

wow really!?
I thought it was a baby because so small!



Thanks for the help guys!

 

[FionaM12]

wow really!?
I thought it was a baby because so small!



Thanks for the help guys!

Actually, by the time they leave the nest baby birds are pretty much full grown, and can look bigger than their parents due to their fluffy feathers!