Common kestrels have declined by 50% in parts of Europe due to intensive farming practices that eliminate their small mammal prey.
Kestrels struggling to find adequate prey in intensively farmed landscapes face chronic nutritional stress. Young birds learning to hunt in depleted farmland environments have higher mortality rates. Secondary rodenticide poisoning causes liver damage and death. Breeding failures when food is inadequate mean pairs that have invested in nest preparation fail to raise young. The welfare and conservation crises are driven by the same farmland intensification.