American Kestrel
Family:
Falconidae (falcons and caracaras) in the order Falconiformes
Description:
Adults are very highly colored, with two black streaks on white cheeks. Adult male has bluish-gray wings; female is brownish. Back and tail are orange-brown, the male with a dark band near the end of the tail and the female with many dark bars. Breast is orange-brown in male and streaked in female and immatures. Immature male has a streaked breast and a completely barred back. Immature female is difficult to distinguish from adult female. Voice is a loud, shrill, “killy, killy, killy.”
Size:
Length: 9–11 inches (tip of bill to tip of tail); wingspan: 20–23 inches.
Habitat and conservation:
Kestrels are birds of farmland and suburban and urban areas. They are the only falcon or hawk on this continent to nest in cavities. Because many old-growth trees and snags are being cut or cleared, and with the conversion of habitat to monotypic grain farms, these beautiful falcons have declined in some areas. They are Blue-Listed by the National Audubon Society. You can help by setting up a special nest box for them. Instructions are available from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Foods:
Kestrels, also called sparrow hawks, typically hunt from a conspicuous perch or hover like miniature helicopters. The flight is buoyant, graceful and rapid, like a large swallow. They eat bats, mice, shrews, rats, gophers, young ground squirrels and (especially) young cottontails; birds, mainly house sparrows, make up 10 percent of their diet. They also eat worms, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, dragonflies, a surprising amount of butterflies (20 percent), plus reptiles and amphibians.
Distribution in Missouri:
Statewide.
Status:
Common migrant; common winter resident in southern Missouri; uncommon summer resident statewide. There are many nesting pairs in St. Louis and Kansas City as well as in other urban areas.
Life cycle:
Nesting usually begins in mid-March, and a clutch of 4–6 eggs is laid in early April. The female does most of the incubating for 28–30 days, while the male hunts for her. Young kestrels fledge from the nest after 28–30 days.
Human connections:
These small raptors are favorites of birders because of their graceful flight and attractive plumage. Many Missourians have created nesting boxes from Missouri Conservation Department guidelines and get to watch “their” kestrels raise and feed families.
Ecosystem connections:
This efficient raptor specializes in smaller prey that larger raptors might ignore, and thus keeps the populations of those prey species in check. MDC's Mission, Vision, Priorities
MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources.
We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature.
Shortened URL
http://mdc.mo.gov/node/3843
