- Lifespan
- 12–15 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 39–46 cm, wingspan 100–120 cm; 280–370 g (females larger than males)
- Habitat
- Open lowland grasslands, heathlands, and cereal crops with minimal tree cover.
- UK Distribution
- Rare summer visitor and passage migrant; breeding population now extremely small or absent. Historically bred in southern England; occasional sightings during spring and autumn migration.
- Diet
- Hunts small mammals, particularly voles and mice, and small birds caught in low-level aerial pursuit.
- Prey
- Voles, mice, shrews, small passerines, and occasionally lizards
- Predators
- Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and ground predators targeting eggs and chicks in nests
- Mating Season
- April to August
- Breeding
- Clutch size 3–5 eggs; incubation period 28–30 days; single brood per season; fledging at 32–38 days
- Behaviour
- Highly migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. Males perform acrobatic sky-dancing displays during courtship. Hunts by quartering low over open ground with characteristic buoyant, lightweight flight.