Birds of Prey
American Kestrel
 The
American
kestrel
(Falco sparverius)
has
a light grey face with black stripes through and behind the eyes and is small in
size (25-30 cm). Like
merlins, the females are dark brown; however, the males are
slate blue with rusty brown on the back and nape.
Unlike
other diurnal raptors, the kestrel is a cavity nester.
The female lays two or three eggs in late May, incubating them
while the male feeds her a variety of small rodents and insects.
In 1982 and 1985, the NWT kestrels had very successful years for reproduction
as the grasshopper populations were high. The young
learn to fly at the age of 28 days. Although
kestrels are also known as sparrow hawks, they rarely hunt birds.
Kestrels are often seen perched on posts or tree limbs searching for prey
or hovering over a prospective victim.
Kestrels
are commonly seen along roadsides and, during fall, migrate south to overwinter
in the southern USA and Mexico.
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