What do they look like?

American Kestrels are the smallest falcon in North America. Males weigh between 103 and 120 grams. Females weigh between 126 and 166 grams. The length of the American Kestrel ranges from 19 to 21 centimeters. Their wingspan is between 50 and 60 centimeters. Both sexes have dark eyes, a notched beak, and unfeathered legs. Males have a rust colored back and tail, and blue wings. The tail has a black band. Females are rust colored with black bands on her wings and tail. Both sexes have white patches on their faces. On top of their head is a blue cap, which is usually brighter in males.

Where in the world do they live?

American Kestrels are found in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. They live in North and South America from near the tree-line in Alaska and Canada to southernmost South America. Their range extends to the West Indies, the Juan Fernandez Islands, and Chile. They are not typically found in rainforest areas and they do not migrate long distances.

What kind of habitat do they need?

American Kestrels nest in tree cavities, woodpecker holes, crevices of buildings, holes in banks, nest boxes or, rarely, old nests of other birds. American Kestrels are highly adaptable and can live just about anywhere, as long as there is some open ground for hunting and places on which to perch and have a good view of the surroundings, such as telephone wires.

How do they reproduce?

American Kestrels are cavity nesters, though they will sometimes nest on cliffs. The female lays 3 to 7 eggs (usually 4 or 5) over a period of 2 or 3 days. Eggs are white, cream or pale pink with an average size of 35 x 29 mm. Females do most of the incubating, which means the females sit on the nest to keep the eggs warm until they hatch. Males have been known to incubate occasionally, and both sexes have brooding patches (patches on their belly where skin is not covered by feathers). Eggs hatch after 29 to 30 days of incubation. The young chicks are non-competitive, meaning they don't fight among themselves for food.

Once chicks have hatched, females beg food from males. The female, in turn, feeds the young for the first 20 days. After that period, chicks beg for food from males and feed themselves on what he brings to the nest. After 30 days, chicks leave the nest. The family remains as a unit for some time. The survival rate of chicks is about 50% under natural conditions, but it is usually higher under better conditions, such as when using human-provided nesting boxes.

How long do they live?

One researcher estimated that the average lifespan of American Kestrels as 12.6 months. One bird was recorded as reaching 11 years and 9 year old kestrals are not uncommon. Average lifespan in a captive colony was 5 years.

How do they behave?

American Kestrels are, for the most part, not social birds. During the mating season, males and females form pairs and have joint territories which they defend. The purpose of defending the territory may be to maintain a pair bond during the nesting season when the male is needed to help rear offspring. American Kestrels are active during the day. American Kestrels migrate north in the spring to reach their breeding grounds and south in the fall to overwintering areas. Body size determines the timing and extent of migration. Females, which are larger than males, reach their northern breeding grounds before males and stay in more northern areas than do males. American Kestrels are easily recognized by their habit of perching on telephone lines and poles along roadways, and by their hovering flight when locating prey. They have extraordinarily good vision, which allows them to locate and capture their prey from long distances.

How do they communicate with each other?

American Kestrels have an alarm call which sounds like "killee killee killee."

What do they eat?

In the summer, American kestrels hunt in the early morning and evening, eating large insects (mainly grasshoppers). During winter, they hunt throughout the daylight hours and eat small mammals, mostly rodents, like voles and mice, and songbirds, sandpiper chicks, lizards, scorpions, and amphibians.

What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten?

Large raptors and owls may prey on adult American kestrels. Most predation probably occurs on eggs, babies in the nest (called nestlings), and young birds. A list of possible predators is given below. American kestrels protect their young by nesting in cavities. Their sharp talons and keen eyesight may help to protect them from other predators.

What roles do they have in the ecosystem?

American Kestrels play an important role in controlling populations of small mammals, particularly rodents, in open habitats.

How do they interact with us?

American kestrels play an important part in controlling creatures that humans usually consider a nuisance, such as mice or insects.

Are they endangered?

There is an estimate of 1.2 million breeding pairs in North America. The availability of nesting places (tree-cavities) may be the main limiting factor in breeding populations of American Kestrels. Humans can help by installing nesting boxes.

Some more information...

American Kestrels are sometimes called "sparrow hawks" because they feed on sparrows. Their latin name is Falco sparverius, which means "sparrow falcon".