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Global Photo Dataset Shows Common Kestrel Diet Shifts With Season and Latitude

Female common kestrel holding prey on a branch
Research · Ecology

A global analysis of web-sourced bird photographs found clear seasonal and latitudinal variation in the diet of the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). The study was published on 13 March 2026 in Avian Research.

Researchers systematically screened 80,158 common kestrel photographs in the Macaulay Library, spanning 1973 to April 2025. They identified 1,708 independent predation events and retained 1,693 for detailed analysis. Mammals made up 36.4% of identified and unidentified predation records combined, followed by invertebrates at 14.9%, reptiles at 14.6%, birds at 11.9% and amphibians at 0.2%; 21.9% of prey could not be identified.

Kestrel diet shifted with season and latitude

Diet composition varied significantly with both season and latitude. Mammals contributed a larger proportion in winter and at higher latitudes, while invertebrate predation increased in autumn and toward lower latitudes. The researchers found no significant seasonal difference in prey size and no overall latitudinal trend in prey size. Within mammals, however, prey size decreased significantly with increasing latitude.

The authors describe the work as the first large-scale quantification of seasonal and latitudinal variation in common kestrel diet. They also highlight the value of large photographic archives for studying raptor feeding ecology across spatial and temporal scales that are difficult to cover through conventional field sampling alone.

Sources and image credit

  1. Wang, C., Tian, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, J., Zeng, D., Hao, Z., Huang, Y., & Ye, Y. (2026). Assessing temporal and spatial variation in the diet of the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) using web-sourced photography. Avian Research, 17, 100364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2026.100364Primary open-access research article. The current journal page records Accepted 11 March 2026 and Published 13 March 2026. The authors screened 80,158 photographs worldwide and analysed 1,693 retained predation events to quantify seasonal and latitudinal variation in diet composition and prey size.

Image: Pshevalkovska / Wikimedia Commons — wild female common kestrel holding prey in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine, 2 July 2020; representative feeding image, not one of the Macaulay Library study photographs; cropped to 16:9 · CC0 · Source

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