American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Formerly called the Sparrow hawk, kestrels are some of the most beautifully decorated North American falcons, with a mustached black-and-white facial pattern. They are the only small hawk with a rust-colored back and tail. Kestrels are about the size of a jay; males have blue gray wings, while the wings of females are more brownish.

Kestrels can eat up to 21% of their body weight daily. Their diet consists of mainly insects, especially grasshoppers, crickets and beetles as well as small mammals such as mice and shrews; small birds; reptiles and amphibians. They have a unique hunting style, often hovering over prey before pinning them to the ground. Once on the ground they use their notched beak to break the cervical cord of their prey.

Their breeding habitat consists of a variety of open habitats. They can be found in areas ranging from grasslands to deserts. In New England , it is likely to find them in agricultural lands. Kestrels can be found in the northeast in the winter, but some populations travel to Mexico .

A male attracts a female by impressing her with power dives in the air. He may fly with quivering wingtips while calling. They nest in natural or artificial cavities. The female lays 4-6 eggs per clutch. The eggs are incubated for 28-31 days and the nestlings once hatched will remain in the nest for about the same amount of days.

About the size of a blue jay, the American Kestrel is our smallest falcon. In the sky falcons are easily identified by their sleek silhouette. Hawks and other raptors such as eagles have wings that appear tattered at the edges while falcons are tapered. No other small raptor has a reddish back or tail. Both sexes have a mustached black-and-white face pattern. Their call is a high-pitched killy-killy-killy.


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