Kestrels have declined significantly in UK farmland but maintained urban populations. Understanding the welfare pressures on both helps target conservation effectively.
Kestrel welfare is intimately linked to prey availability. Farmland kestrels that cannot find sufficient voles during chick rearing produce fewer fledglings or abandon nests - a welfare impact that extends to the next generation. Rough grassland margins, ungrazed field corners, and reduced pesticide use create the invertebrate and small mammal communities that support kestrel foraging. Urban kestrels face different welfare challenges including road collision risk for juveniles learning to hunt and secondary poisoning from rodenticides used in urban settings.