American Kestrel

North America's littlest falcon, the American Kestrel demonstrates a fierce predator's intensity packed in a small body. It is a commonly seen resident of the area, seen mainly in open country, according to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity.

This kestrel is one of the most colorful raptors. The male's slate-blue head and wings contrast with the rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same reddish coloration on her wings, back and tail.

Seen from above, the kestrel presents a pale belly with a black band at the end of the tail. Both sexes have vertical slashes on either side of the face. They are about the size of a Mourning Dove but they have a larger head.

American Kestrels mainly eat insects, small rodents and small birds. Their diet includes grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and dragonflies; voles, mice, shrews and bats; and small songbirds such as sparrows.

They can be seen perched on poles or wires. Or they may stay aloft, facing into the wind, flapping their wings and adjusting their tail to hover. In flight, the wings are often bent and the wingtips swept back.

Kestrels snatch their prey from the ground but may catch quarry on the wing. Being one of the smallest birds of prey can be tough. They can end up as the prey of larger hawks, Barn Owls, rat snakes or even fire ants.

Kestrels nest in old woodpecker holes, natural tree hollows or nooks in buildings or nesting boxes. To give them a nesting site, nail a nesting box onto a tree 10 to 30 feet above the ground. The appropriate time for the task is early February. The male searches for a spot then shows it to the female, who makes the final choice. During breeding season, males climb then dive uttering short kheee! calls at the top of each ascent.

Birds see ultraviolet light which enables kestrels to see the trail or urine that a vole leaves as it runs along the ground. Like neon dinner signs, this can lead the kestrel to its meal.

Kestrels hide surplus kills in grass clumps, tree roots, bushes, fence posts, tree limbs and cavities, to save food for lean times or to hide it from thieves.