Kestrel
Geographic Range: 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.
Status: Numbers are reducing with deforestation.
Length: 10 to 12 inches, with wings spanning up to 2 feet
Weight: 80-165 g
Description: Females have rufous backs and wings, barred with black, while males have rufous backs and blue-gray wings. Kestrels catch most of their prey on the ground.
Typical Diet: Grasshoppers, crickets and other insects are eaten in great numbers when available; but mice, voles, snakes and songbirds are also taken.
Similar Species: Merlin
Special Notes:
- Sometimes called the Sparrow Hawk
- North America’s smallest falcon
- They are often seen perched on telephone poles and wires, like sentinels of the road, searching the terrain below.
- They also hunt on the wing, characteristically hovering over grassy areas.
- Loud series of "klee-klee-klee" notes when excited.
- Kestrels are unique among our falcons in that they are hole-nesters, using natural cavities in trees and small openings in buildings.
