What are the black spots on the kestrels head for?
Scientists speculate that the dark patches under the kestrel’s eyes serve the same purpose as the black smudges athletes often put on their face before playing outdoors—the black pigment absorbs bright sunlight so it does not reflect back up in to the athlete’s or the kestrel’s eyes. The dark spots on the back of the kestrels head are thought to serve an entirely different purpose than the ones below the eyes. When a predator sees the kestrel’s head, the black spots might serve as “false eyes,” thus fooling the predator into thinking the back of the head is the face.
