Common Kestrel

The common kestrel is a small falcon with long pointed wings and a long tail. Males have a grey head and tail, warm rufous back marked with black spots, and a dark terminal tail band. Females are browner and more heavily barred, including across the tail. Both sexes show a dark moustachial stripe. The species is often identified by its habit of hovering into the wind with rapidly beating wings while scanning the ground below. (Wikipedia, common kestrel account)

Common kestrels occupy open country, farmland, grassland, steppe, roadsides and towns across much of Eurasia and Africa. They hunt chiefly small mammals, especially voles where abundant, but also take large insects, lizards and small birds. Rather than building a nest, a pair uses a cliff ledge, tree cavity, old corvid nest or building. Northern populations migrate or disperse south, while birds in milder parts of the range may remain throughout the year. (Wikipedia, common kestrel account)