Kestrel populations have declined significantly in Britain, but targeted nest box schemes in agricultural landscapes are providing breeding sites and supporting population recovery.
Kestrel decline is a welfare story at two levels: individual kestrels suffer reduced breeding success and increased mortality in landscapes that cannot support adequate prey populations, and the birds displaced from declining habitats face increasing competition and stress as available territories are occupied. Nest box schemes address one component of the problem by ensuring cavity availability, but welfare improvement requires habitat management that supports adequate prey populations alongside nest sites. Farm-scale habitat management, including rough grassland margins and beetle banks, provides food as well as shelter, creating comprehensive welfare improvements.