The influence of kestrels on the work of Sophocles.

Kestrels were somewhat of an influence on the work of the great Greek tragedian, Sophocles, predominantly in his Theban plays.

The Theban plays deal with the story of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, and the circumstances and consequences of those events.

On hearing of the breeding habits of kestrels, where newborn hatchlings may be eaten by their mothers if they are deemed too weak, Sophocles was truly horrified. The Theban plays were his reaction to this information, by telling a story where the mannerisms of kestrels were reversed in the most extreme way.