Grey Kestrel
Falco ardosiaceus
Maasai Mara Reserve, Kenya. Oct. 2016.
From Wikipedia:
A fairly small, stocky kestrel with a large, flat-topped head and fairly short wings that don't reach past the tip of the tail when at rest.
It is 28–33 cm long with a wingspan of 58–72 cm and a weight of up to 300 grams. The female is slightly larger than the male.
The plumage of the adult is uniformly dark grey apart from darker wingtips, faint dark streaking on the body and slightly barred flight feathers.
The feet and cere are yellow and there is bare yellow skin around the eye.
The most similar species is the sooty falcon which has a more rounded head, long wings extending past the tail and less yellow around the eye.
Accipitridae -- Falcon, Hawk and Eagle Family
Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe