After lunch, we were driving to a hiking spot, but, of course, had to stop along the road to look at birds through the open bus windows.
Here, Bar-headed Geese roamed the river’s edge, foraging for snacks and drinks.
These vegetarians eat grasses, roots, tubers, grains, leaves, and berries, as well as the occasional insect or small crustacean. Such a lovely head!
Then, on the other side of the road, we spotted a bird on a wire that made me hop out of the bus…
A Eurasian Kestrel! Oh my, what a gorgeous bird. And an excellent hunter of small mammals like voles, insects, and the occasional lizard.
Cool facts: [Birds of the World]
Able to locate voles based on UV clues from the vole’s urine.
Uses bill to damage central nervous system of rodent prey to reduce its movement.
Suffocates prey by squeezing it in its feet.
There are several subspecies of this small raptor in a wide range of countries, as you can see above. Orange: breeding grounds; Yellow: migration; Blue: non-breeding; Purple: year-round.
Here’s an American Kestrel for comparison. The Eurasian Kestrel is slightly bigger:
American male wingspan: 22-27 cm/ 8.6”- 10.6,” female: 23-31 cm/ 9”- 12.2”
Eurasian male wingspan: 27-35 cm/ 10.6”- 13.8,” female: 57-79 cm/22.4”- 31”
Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus, American Kestrel Falco sparverius
Punakha, Bhutan March 21, 2025
Bosque del Apache, New Mexico November 16, 2023