Kestrel populations have declined significantly in the UK due to changes in prey availability, habitat loss, and weather impacts on foraging success.
Kestrels in deteriorating habitats face chronic food insufficiency that affects breeding performance, body condition, and survival. Chicks in poor vole years receive inadequate prey delivery and may starve. Adults that cannot hunt effectively in wet, windy conditions deplete fat reserves that compromise subsequent breeding attempts. Maintaining rough grassland habitats that support vole populations near kestrel territories directly improves individual hunting success and welfare.