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| Subspecies: | Unknown |
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| Est. World Population: | 2740000-6410000,4030000 |
| CITES Status: | NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: | Least Concern |
| U.S. ESA Status: | NOT LISTED |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | |
| Weight: | |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Males) |
| Litter Size: | |
| Gestation Period: | |
Habitat:
This species occupies open country such as pastures, parkland, orchards, sand-heathland, olive groves, and vineyards and requires the presence of features offering perches, shade, nest-sites and accessible food. It is frequently found around villages and in traditionally farmed areas. Breeding can occur up to 3,000 m in Turkey (Krištín and Kirwan 2015).
In Central and Southern Europe, egg-laying occurs from late April or early May, although begins in January in the Canaries (Snow and Perrins 1998). The species is monogamous, solitary and a territorial breeder, although extra-pair paternity has been found in southeast Spain. It nests in natural holes in stumps, trees, walls, old buildings, cliffs, among boulders, in abandoned vehicles, drainpipes, wells, roof spaces and nest boxes and may use the same site for several seasons (Krištín and Kirwan 2015). The nest may unlined or lined with moss, grass, leaves or pine needles (Snow and Perrins 1998) and is normally relatively close to the ground but occasionally found over 40 m. (Krištín and Kirwan 2015). Typically, the species lays seven to eight eggs.
It feeds almost entirely on animal matter, primarily large insects and their larvae and pupae (Snow and Perrins 1998).
Northern populations are fully migratory while others our only partially migratory. European populations winter in northwest Africa, the Canary Isles, Israel and Arabia (Krištín and Kirwan 2015).
Although the generation length for both EU and Europe regional assessments were calculated using the same methodology, new information arriving after the EU assessments were undertaken gave rise to an update in the generation lengths. This new information was then used for the Europe level assessments giving rise to a difference between the generation lengths used for the EU and Europe regions.
In Central and Southern Europe, egg-laying occurs from late April or early May, although begins in January in the Canaries (Snow and Perrins 1998). The species is monogamous, solitary and a territorial breeder, although extra-pair paternity has been found in southeast Spain. It nests in natural holes in stumps, trees, walls, old buildings, cliffs, among boulders, in abandoned vehicles, drainpipes, wells, roof spaces and nest boxes and may use the same site for several seasons (Krištín and Kirwan 2015). The nest may unlined or lined with moss, grass, leaves or pine needles (Snow and Perrins 1998) and is normally relatively close to the ground but occasionally found over 40 m. (Krištín and Kirwan 2015). Typically, the species lays seven to eight eggs.
It feeds almost entirely on animal matter, primarily large insects and their larvae and pupae (Snow and Perrins 1998).
Northern populations are fully migratory while others our only partially migratory. European populations winter in northwest Africa, the Canary Isles, Israel and Arabia (Krištín and Kirwan 2015).
Although the generation length for both EU and Europe regional assessments were calculated using the same methodology, new information arriving after the EU assessments were undertaken gave rise to an update in the generation lengths. This new information was then used for the Europe level assessments giving rise to a difference between the generation lengths used for the EU and Europe regions.
Range:
In Europe, the species breeds primarily in Spain, Turkey and Portugal, with notable numbers in Romania, France, the European part of Russia, Greece, Poland and Ukraine.
Conservation:
Conservation Actions Underway
Bern Convention Appendix II. There are currently no known conservation measures for this species.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Research suggests that large areas of suitable breeding habitat should be maintained to allow functional and sustainable populations (Bötsch et al. 2012) therefore landscape scale management needs to be employed to maintain suitable foraging and breeding habitats for the species. Controls on hunting need to be introduced and enforced.
Bern Convention Appendix II. There are currently no known conservation measures for this species.
Conservation Actions Proposed
Research suggests that large areas of suitable breeding habitat should be maintained to allow functional and sustainable populations (Bötsch et al. 2012) therefore landscape scale management needs to be employed to maintain suitable foraging and breeding habitats for the species. Controls on hunting need to be introduced and enforced.