American Kestrel

Meet "Feathers" the American Kestrel!

About American Kestrels
(Information taken from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Perhaps the most colorful raptor in the world, the American Kestrel is the most common falcon in North America. It is found from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and in towns as well as wild lands.

Description

• Small hawk.
• Rufous back and tail.
• Two dark mustache marks on face.
• Size: 22-31 cm (9-12 in)
• Wingspan: 51-61 cm (20-24 in)
• Weight: 80-165 g (2.82-5.82 ounces)
• Short curved bill with "tooth" on upper mandible.
• Long pointed wings.
• Long tail.
• Legs and toes rather short.
• "Eye spots" on back of head.
• Streaked or spotted on chest.

Sex Differences

• Male has blue-gray wings and a lightly spotted chest and belly. The larger female has rufous wings barred with black, and streaking on the chest.

Male:

• Wings blue-gray with black spots. Tail rufous on back with a broad black subterminal band and a white or rufous tip. Tail white underneath with a few incomplete black bars. Back and rump orange to rufous, with a variable amount of black barring. Underparts pale buff to orange, with variable amount of black spotting, especially along sides. Crown blue-gray with some orange. Buffy spots with dark centers on either side of nape (back of head), making "eyespots" visible from behind. Legs pale yellow to orange-yellow.

Female:

• Wings rufous barred with black. Tail rufous with black bands. Underparts creamy to buff,

Immature

• Juveniles similar to adults.

Food

• Large insects, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Range

Summer Range:

• Breeds from Alaska across most of Canada and the United States into Central and South America.

Winter Range:

• Winters in southern portion of breeding range from Canadian border and northern Nebraska and Ohio southward.

Habitat

• Breeds in a variety of open habitats, including meadows, grasslands, deserts, parkland, agricultural fields, urban and suburban areas.

Behavior

Foraging:

• Watches for prey from tall perches, such as trees and telephone poles. Also hovers and drops on prey.

Reproduction

Nest Type:

• Nests in cavities in trees, in buildings, and in nest boxes. No material added to nest hole.

Egg Description:

• White to yellowish with scattered small dark spots.

Clutch Size:

• Usually 4-5 eggs. Range: 1-7.

Condition at Hatching:

• Helpless with sparse white down.

Conservation Status

• Increased greatly with historical deforestation of North America. No significant trend across North America, but some local increases and decreases.

Sound

• Loud series of "klee-klee-klee" notes when excited.

Our Other Educational Birds:

American Kestrel
Bald Eagle
Barn Owl
Barred Owl
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Peregrine Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Rough Legged Hawk
Snowy Owl
Screech Owl
Trumpeter Swan
Turkey Vulture

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