Kestrel population in Scotland declines by two thirds

Scotland’s kestrel population has fallen rapidly since 1995, according to a survey which implicates the use of rodenticides in their decline.

The drop in numbers of the bird of prey is highlighted in the latest annual Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report on the fortunes of UK species.

Once kestrels were a familiar sight all over Scotland, hovering over roadside verges and fields searching for prey. But the latest official statistics show that between 1995 and 2022 the breeding population plummeted in Scotland by 67 per cent.

While the species has declined throughout the UK, Scotland has been hit hardest, with the population in England suffering a 26 per cent drop.

It is not clear why the decline in Scotland is more severe than elsewhere in