Table 4.
Reasons for admission of common kestrels to the rehabilitation centres in the Czech Republic.
| Reason for admission | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nestling | All young birds that have not reached the age for leaving their nest, not able to survive on their own | Abandoned, orphaned, injured hatchlings or nestlings |
| Power line injury | Injuries caused by the electrical charge from a power line | Kestrels lying near a power line or found with burn injuries (collisions and electrocutions) |
| Gunshot injury | Injuries caused by rifles, firearms | Gunshot wounds found in the wing etc |
| Injury by another animal | Injuries caused by a bite | Kestrels admitted after being seen to be attacked e.g. by a dog, suffering from bite wounds |
| Other injury | Other injuries, which were not caused by gunshot, power line or by a bite | Fractures, paralysis etc |
| Road traffic | Kestrels injured by road vehicles | Injured kestrels found on the side of the road |
| Rail traffic | Kestrels injured by rail cars | Injured kestrels found near the railway tracks |
| Poisoning | Kestrels showing signs of poisoning | Kestrels showing signs of poisoning (e.g. neurological signs after ingestion of carbofuran), no obvious injuries |
| Infection | Kestrels showing the symptoms of infection (including parasite infection) | Symptoms include diarrhea, ruffled feathers, sneezing etc |
| Feather damage | Inability to fly due to the feather damage | E.g. oil contamination |
| Exhaustion, starvation | Dehydration or underweight, no symptoms of infection | Kestrels showing signs of dehydration |
| Entrapment | Kestrels trapped in some way | Kestrels found tangled in nettings or in a chimney |
| Intrusion | Kestrels that invaded a building, namely when they could not get out | Kestrels found in a building |
| Incubation | Kestrels hatched in rehabilitation centres | Incubation of eggs collected from a damaged nest |
| Unnecessary capture | Kestrels (nestlings) brought into the rehabilitation for no apparent reason | Healthy kestrels showing no signs of injuries or diseases brought into the rehabilitation centre by a member of the public |
| Other | Reasons other than those described above | E.g. confiscation of illegally kept kestrels, capture of birds escaped from aviaries or falconers |