Most birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate to the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America for the winter. (Audio of American Kestrel by Phil Brown XC426298, accessible at The American Kestrel's extensive breeding range stretches from Alaska and northern Canada south into the United States, central Mexico, and the Caribbean, and throughout South America. This bird is also quite vocal, sounding off with a loud, repeated "killy, killy, killy" when excited or alarmed. It's fairly easily to identify an American Kestrel by its fast flight and habit of pumping its tail up and down while perched. For example, many Caribbean birds lack spots and barring - and the Cuban race is gray-backed and dark-headed, lacking facial stripes. Females are rufous and cream with brown barring overall.ĭifferences between subspecies can be striking. The smaller males are more colorful, with blue-gray wings, orange tail with one black bar, and crisp black spotting on a white belly. Unlike other raptors such as the Bald Eagle, male and female American Kestrels differ in appearance as well as size. ![]() Seventeen subspecies of American Kestrel are recognized throughout the species' range, with differences in color, wing length, and plumage patterns. American Kestrels also have two vertical black facial markings on each side of the head, in contrast to most other falcon species, which only have one. These false "eyes" help protect this little falcon from potential attackers sneaking up from the rear, whether they are predators or mobbing songbirds. Eyes on the Back of Their HeadsĪmerican Kestrels have two black spots, known as ocelli ("little eyes" in Latin), at the back of their heads. ![]() The American Kestrel is found in the same open habitat as birds including the Eastern Meadowlark and Barn Swallow. Common nicknames for this scrappy little raptor include "sparrow hawk" (after the distantly related Eurasian Sparrowhawk), "grasshopper hawk," for one of its favorite prey items, and "killy hawk," due to its shrill call. ![]() About the size of a Blue Jay, the American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America.
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