Original range | Current range | Estimated population | Threats to survival | Species recovery | Species recovery | Partners and links

Description: The Mauritius kestrel is a small falcon adapted to living in forests. It has short rounded wings and a relatively long tail and legs. Lacking some of the colour of its North American cousin, its plumage is brown barred with black on its back, upper wings and tail. Its ventral surface is white, spotted with dark brown and black. Kestrels measure 15-18 cm from beak to tail, and weigh 135 to 165 g. Males are slightly smaller than females.

The kestrel occupies territories of about 3 square kilometres. in both upland and lowland native forest. About 90% of a kestrelŐs diet consists of Phelsuma geckos, augmented by other lizards, insects and shrews. Typically, the kestrel breeds once each year, between September and November. It will lay a second clutch of eggs, usually within 14 days, if the first clutch is lost. Clutch size is two to four eggs, primarily incubated by the female.

Original range: Native only to Mauritius, the Mauritius kestrel originally found throughout the island

Current range: By the early 1970s, its range was reduced to the mountainous Black River Gorges in southwestern Mauritius. A successful re-introduction program has boosted kestrel populations in western and eastern Mauritius.

Estimated population: At one point, the kestrel population dropped to 4 to 6 birds. Today, thanks to an intensive breeding and re-introduction program, there are now an estimated 650 kestrels in the wild. Most importantly, this includes 100 breeding pairs.

Threats to survival: The original threats -- pesticides (DDT) and habitat degradation -- are now largely mitigated. The limited amount of original habitat that remains in to protected parks and reserves means the population will probably never grow large. Although the species is adapting to new habitats, the small population size will leave the kestrel vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones. The pre-colonial kestrel population was never large, estimated between 175 and 325 breeding pairs.

Species recovery: The success of this recovery project is a good example of how intensive management techniques can bring a species back from the brink of extinction. The recovery project started in 1973 and has utilized captive breeding, supplemental feeding of wild birds, provision of nest-boxes and improved natural cavities, forced double-clutching by harvesting eggs for captive rearing, release of captive-bred birds, and control of introduced predators. With the release of the 300th kestrel in 1994, the captive breeding and release program was stopped. The project now consists of monitoring the more than 100 wild breeding pairs. In 1998 the kestrel was removed from the endangered species list, making this one of the most successful species reintroduction and recovery programs ever undertaken.

WPC'S Partners in Mauritius > Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, UK (Founding partner) > The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation