Mauritius kestrel

Falco punctatus

The Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus) is a bird found in Mauritius. Forests and cliffs on the island of Mauritius. It eats reptiles and frogs, small mammals and birds and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Endangered.

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Scientific name	Falco punctatus
Region	Africa
Found in	Mauritius

🏡 Where the Mauritius kestrel lives

Forests and cliffs on the island of Mauritius.

🍽️ What it eats

🦎 Reptiles & frogs70%
🐭 Mammals & birds20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

EndangeredVery few are left in the wild.

💡 In 1974 only four were known to be alive. Careful help has brought it back.

Hear the Mauritius kestrel

Recorded by Daniel Lopez-Velasco / Ornis Birding (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1054618. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Mauritius kestrel

Where does the Mauritius kestrel live?

The Mauritius kestrel lives in Mauritius. Forests and cliffs on the island of Mauritius.

What does the Mauritius kestrel eat?

reptiles and frogs (about 70%), small mammals and birds (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Mauritius kestrel endangered?

Very few are left in the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Endangered.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.