The kestrel, once the UK's most familiar bird of prey, has declined substantially due to loss of rough grassland prey habitat, with welfare depending on access to short-vegetation hunting grounds.
Individual kestrels face welfare challenges from prey scarcity in intensively farmed landscapes where rough grassland has been converted to arable or improved pasture. A hunting kestrel failing to catch sufficient prey faces starvation, particularly during the energetically demanding breeding season when adults must provision chicks as well as themselves. Road hunting exposes kestrels to vehicle collisions. Conservation of rough grassland and verges, combined with farmland management that supports vole populations, improves welfare by ensuring adequate prey availability for resident breeding pairs.