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Manatee County

Audubon Society

American Kestrel

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Name

American Kestrel

Scientific Name

(Falco sparverius)

Why they are special:
  • The smallest falcon in North America, often called the “sparrow hawk.”

  • Despite their size, kestrels are bold hunters with sharp eyesight and quick wingbeats.

  • At Felts, migrating kestrels perch on snags and wires in open areas, making them a seasonal highlight.
Size and color:
  • A tiny falcon, about 9–12 inches long with a wingspan of 20–24 inches.

  • Males: blue-gray wings, rusty back and tail with a bold black band at the tip.

  • Females: rusty wings and tail with black barring, overall more subdued than males.

  • Both sexes have two distinctive black vertical facial stripes.
Seasonality in Florida:
  • A winter and migration visitor in most of Florida, including Manatee County.

  • At Felts, they are seen most often in fall through spring perched in open pasture areas.
Habitat:
  • Prefer open fields, grasslands, pastures, and roadsides with scattered perches.

  • At Felts, look for them scanning for prey from snags or wires in the pasture.
Diet:
  • Feed on grasshoppers, dragonflies, small lizards, rodents, and small birds.

  • Often hover in place (“kiting”) before diving on prey.
Behavior:
  • Perch-hunters that use elevated posts or snags to scan for movement.

  • Agile fliers, capable of hovering in mid-air when hunting.

  • During migration and winter, often solitary but sometimes loosely share hunting areas.
Conservation notes:
  • Populations are declining in some regions due to loss of open habitat and nesting sites.

  • Florida remains an important wintering ground for migratory kestrels.
Best time to see:
  • Fall through spring at Felts, especially perched on wires or snags overlooking the pasture.
Fun Fact:
  • American Kestrels can see ultraviolet light, allowing them to detect urine trails of rodents when hunting.
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