A FEATHERED VISITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 76

A FEATHERED VISITOR.

KESTREL SHOT xN CANTERBURY,

CHRISTCHURCH, July 30. A male specimen of an Australian kestrel shot at Burnt Hill by Mr R. Bassett and presented to the Canterbury Museum opens up an interesting problem. This is tne first appearance, as fai as is known, of the bird in the Dominion, and the question is; ‘ How did he get here? ”

Professor R. Speight, curator of the museum, says that he had either escaped from one of the zoological gardens at Auckland or Wellington, or he had flown to Canterbury from Australia. The bird was not an old one, not being fully fledged. The kestrel is a graceful bird, especially in flight, resembling the barrier hawk, though smaller. Professor Speight said to-day that it was quite possible for such a bird to fly from Australia. He was observed at Burnt Hill some days before he was shot. Normally the species exists on insects and small lizards, but this one had taken to attacking small bir„s, probably owing to force of circumstances. He had also been observed chasing a hawk, and had proved too much for him.