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IUCN threat status:

Vulnerable (VU)

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This bird of prey feeds mainly on geckos and skinks, but also consumes insects, small birds and mice. It hunts from the vantage point of a perch, and snatches its prey from tree trunks, branches, foliage or from the ground (2). The Seychelles kestrel only lays one brood each year, generally from August to October (7). The Seychelles kestrel does not build a nest, but lays its eggs on cliffs high above sea level, in tree holes or on building ledges. It also sometimes uses the abandoned nests of the introduced common myna (Acridotheres tristis) (2). Two to three eggs are laid at a time of increased food abundance, and after an incubation period of around 30 days, the young appear in the nest when food availability is at a maximum (7), giving the chicks the best possible start in life. Both the common myna and another introduced species, the black rat, prey on the nests of Seychelles kestrels (2), and despite the parents' efforts to defend the territory and nest, not all chicks will reach fledging at 38 days of age (7).



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Source: ARKive


