American-Kestrel

The American Kestrel is one of the most beautiful falcons in North America. Its feather patterns of blues, reds, grays, browns, and blacks make this small bird of prey a real eye-catcher! Apart from their good looks, American Kestrels are also swift fliers with astounding aerobatic abilities.

Kestrels, like a few other birds of prey, are very good at hovering. With the help of a good headwind, kestrels can flap their wings vigorously and maneuver their tail to stay in one spot, like a helicopter in mid-air, while searching the ground for prey. Though it is a small bird, the kestrel needs strength, agility, and stamina to maintain this static flight. When you see kestrels in flight, notice how their wings, tail feathers, heads, bodies and even feet all change shape and direction to help this amazing bird achieve such aerial feats.

If you have the opportunity to watch a kestrel in flight, enjoy it! You may see it dive in a deep stoop and perhaps catch a meal.

As you may know, all birds of prey have amazing eyesight. Kestrels, like some other birds, can see ultraviolet light, which is invisible to the human eye. This ability helps them find and catch prey. This does not mean that kestrels see animals that we don’t, but they do see rodents' urine trails, which reflect ultraviolet light. To a kestrel, these urine trails are like neon arrows pointing to their favorite restaurant. Kestrels might even set up a territory in an area with lots of urine trails because this means there are lots of tasty meals running around.

Speed

American Kestrels can fly at speeds up to 39 mph.