How to Identify aAmerican Kestrel
Falco sparverius · 8.7–12.2 in (22–31 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Rusty back and tail, blue-gray wings, a rusty crown, and two bold black "sideburn" stripes on a white face.
Female
Rusty above with black barring on the wings, back, and tail; same double face stripes.
Male photo: Channel City Camera Club from Santa Barbara, US / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Female photo: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Two black vertical stripes on a white face
- Rusty back and tail
- Male shows slate-blue wings
- Hovers on rapid wingbeats over open ground
Similar species
What it sounds like
A shrill, rapid "killy-killy-killy", often given as it takes flight.
Behaviour that gives it away
Hovers in place on rapid wingbeats before dropping onto prey, and bobs its tail when it lands.
Habitat & range
Open fields, farmland, roadsides, and grassy edges across all of North America.
When you'll see it
Present all year in North America.
What it eats
Insects, small rodents, and small birds, often hunted by hovering then dropping.
Did you know?
It hunts by perching and scanning, or by hovering in place on rapid wingbeats before dropping on prey.
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