American Kestrel (formerly Sparrow Hawk)

This feather belongs to the American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon. Females and juveniles are characterized by rufous backs and tails with heavy black barring. Males, by contrast, have blue-grey wings and a mostly unbarred rufous tail with a single thick black band.

Warm rufous (cinnamon-brown) base color with five distinct, dark brownish-black horizontal bands. The tip features a broad black subterminal band followed by a thin white or buffy terminal edge.

Densely interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane for flight stability; plumulaceous (downy) barbs at the base near the calamus.

The rachis is relatively thin, stiff, and transitions from a clear/white calamus to a darker tone within the pigmented areas of the vane. Barbs are held at an acute angle to the rachis.

Smooth, firm, and slightly glossy. The vane is stiff enough to provide aerodynamic resistance during flight and hovering.

Tail (Rectrix). The bold transverse banding and shape indicate a tail feather used for steering and braking during flight.

Warm rufous tone with multiple dark transverse bands; broad subterminal black band near the pale tip; small size (roughly 4 inches).

Open country, grasslands, agricultural fields, deserts, and parklands. In South Dakota, they are common in the Black Hills and surrounding prairies.

Widespread throughout North and South America. In Western South Dakota, they are breeding residents, with most migrating south for the winter.

Secondary consumer and mid-level predator; helps control populations of large insects (grasshoppers) and small rodents. Often competes with Bluebirds for nesting cavities.

Merlin (Falco columbarius) feathers are generally darker/grayer with different banding patterns. Sharp-shinned Hawk feathers have different proportions and gray-brown tones.

Kestrels are known for their ability to hover (kite) in mid-air while hunting for insects and small rodents. They see ultraviolet light, allowing them to track the urine trails of voles.

Kestrels have historically been used in falconry (often by beginners) due to their small size, though they and their feathers are now strictly protected.

Look for these feathers near wooden fence posts or telephone wires in open fields, as these are preferred perched hunting spots for Kestrels.

Good to Excellent condition. The barbs are mostly intact, suggesting it was naturally molted rather than lost in a struggle or weathered by long exposure.

Western South Dakota