Family:
The American kestrel is a slender falcon with a relatively small head, long narrow wings, and a square-tipped tail. It is the smallest and most common raptor in North America.
Males have rusty upperparts and slate-grey wings with buffy, spotted underparts. It has two vertical black marks on the side of its face and a blue-grey crown. Females are rust-coloured overall with paler upperparts and black bars on the wings and back.
The purpose of the black facial marks is unclear but the most accepted theory is that they act as “false eyes” to help prevent birds from attack by predators.
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American kestrels have a broad diet and eat insects, lizards, small mammals such as voles, and small birds.
They usually snatch their prey from the ground although they will sometimes eat on the wing.
The American kestrel breeds from central and western Alaska, through North America, and south to Mexico and the Caribbean. Most northern birds migrate south for winter.
It can be found in a variety of habitats from deserts and grasslands to farmlands and towns. They can often be spotted on perched on wires along the sides of open country roads.
One Response
Hello,
I think I have just spotted an American kestrel at my home in Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan.
Definitely had a more red chest than the speckled feather.
Would I be correct?