Diet, body mass and condition of Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni in South Africa

A total of 229 Lesser Kestrels Falco naumannt shot by airport personnel as part of their bird control programme, was obtained from the Bloemfontein an d Kimberley airports during the 1984/85, 1985/86 and 1986/87 austral summer s Analysis of stomach contents of non-breeding individuals visiting South A frica's Free State and Northern Cape Provinces indicated that Arthropoda co mprise 90% of the diet, with Solifugae (30%), Orthoptera (23%), Chilopoda ( 20%) and Isoptera (10%) being the most important food items. Vertebrates we re virtually absent from the diet. No sex-related dietary differences were found. Lesser Kestrels are opportunistic invertebrate feeders which mainly utilise available and most abundant prey species. Female birds are signific antly heavier than males; but the latter maintain higher body fat reserves for the larger part bf their stay in South Africa.