American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Fairly common in winter in NC, kestrels are the smallest North American falcon. Formerly known as "sparrow hawks", they are commonly seen hunting in fields where they'll prey on insects, reptiles, small mammals, and of course, sparrows. Kestrels are readily observed perching on phone wires beside roads.
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, Collier Co., FL
2 Jan 2006
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, Collier Co., FL
2 Jan 2006

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Eagle Lakes County Park, Collier Co., FL
17 Feb 2014
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Eagle Lakes County Park, Collier Co., FL
17 Feb 2014

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
16 Apr 2014

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Apr 2014

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Sep 2013
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Missoula Co., MT
18 Sep 2013

The bird in the photo above is perched atop the nearest utility pole. Both photos were taken from the same location with the close-up above zoomed in and hand-held at 200x.


American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Lee Metcalf NWR, Ravalli Co., MT
28 Apr 2014

Kestrels make good subjects for doing impressionism art projects...


American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Alligator River NWR, Dare Co., NC
4 Jun 2006

Impressionism art kestrel...



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Created on ... January 18, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com