American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is a small, brightly patterned falcon found from Alaska and Canada through the United States, Mexico, and much of South America. It is a familiar sight perched on roadside wires and fence posts in open farmland, and it is unique among North American falcons for the strong plumage difference between males and females.

Back feathers are rufous with black barring or spotting, and the tail is rufous with a single black subterminal band. Males show blue-gray wing covert feathers contrasting with the rufous back, while females have rufous wings barred with black rather than gray. Both sexes show two dark vertical facial stripes, giving a distinctive 'double moustache' pattern on an otherwise pale face, a useful feature even on a detached head feather region.

Males have blue-gray wings and crown paired with a rufous back and tail marked by a black band near the tip, while females have rufous wings barred with black and a rufous tail crossed by multiple dark bands rather than one. This sexual dimorphism is present from a young age, making sex identification possible even in juvenile birds. There is no strong seasonal plumage change beyond typical wear between molts.

This kestrel occupies open fields, farmland, roadsides, deserts, and urban edges from Alaska and Canada south through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America. Northern populations are migratory, wintering farther south, while populations in milder climates are largely resident.

It hunts insects, small rodents, and small birds, often from a perch or while hovering in place over open ground before dropping onto prey. It is a cavity nester, using natural holes, old woodpecker cavities, or nest boxes, and gives a sharp, repeated 'killy killy killy' call, especially near the nest.