American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is a small, brightly colored falcon, roughly the size of a Mourning Dove, with a rufous back and tail, blue-gray wings in males (rufous in females), and a distinctive facial pattern of two dark vertical stripes (a moustache and a sideburn) on a white face. Both sexes show a pair of dark false "eyespots" on the back of the head, which may help deter predators by making it look like it is watching in two directions at once.

As the smallest and most widespread falcon in North America, kestrels are a familiar sight perched on roadside wires and fence posts, bobbing their tails as they scan the ground for prey.

Key Field Marks

• Rufous back and tail; males have slate-blue wings, females rufous wings
• Two bold dark vertical stripes on a white face
• Small size, roughly dove-sized, with a habit of perching on wires and hovering over fields
• Frequent tail-bobbing while perched

Similar Species

• Merlin: larger, stockier, and darker overall, lacking the kestrel's rufous back and bold facial pattern.
• Sharp-shinned Hawk: an accipiter with rounded wings and a different flight style (flap-flap-glide) rather than the kestrel's hovering hunting technique.

Range

American Kestrels are found throughout North, Central, and much of South America, breeding across nearly all of the United States and Canada. Northern populations migrate south for winter, while southern populations are largely resident.

Habitat

They favor open country including farmland, grasslands, deserts, and urban and suburban edges with scattered perches, using tree cavities, cliff crevices, or nest boxes for breeding.

Hunting

Kestrels hunt from an elevated perch or by hovering in place over open ground, dropping down to catch grasshoppers, beetles, small rodents, and occasionally small birds; they can see ultraviolet light, which may help them track rodent urine trails.

Voice

The call is a shrill, rapid "klee-klee-klee" or "killy-killy-killy," often given in alarm or during interactions between individuals.

Nesting

American Kestrels are cavity nesters, using natural tree hollows, old woodpecker holes, cliff crevices, and readily accepting artificial nest boxes. Clutches typically contain four to five eggs.