“I’m watching you like a hawk.” That saying easily could have been inspired by the American kestrel, which relies on vision eight times sharper than a human’s when searching for prey.

Because the American kestrel is about the size of a blue jay, making it the smallest hawk in North America, it must put to good use its keen sight and every other possible hunting advantage. This hawk has a voracious appetite, eating about 300 mice each year plus lesser amounts of small birds and insects. From its favorite hunting perch, often atop trees or power lines, it plunges at its prey. It also sometimes hovers on rapidly beating wings, facing upwind to scan its hunting ground.

You can spot American kestrels in woods, farms, deserts, mountains or cities. In fact, wherever you find mice in the Americas, you can count on finding the American kestrel. An estimated 1.2 million pairs are thought to breed in North America alone. For nests, they favor holes in trees or small spaces in buildings. Nestlings grow rapidly, assuming adult weight in about 2-1/2 weeks.

Males have a rust-colored back and tail and blue-gray wings. Females have rusty wings, back and tail, all with dark horizontal stripes. Both sexes have white faces with markings resembling a Fu Manchu mustache.

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Information Accuracy
The information for the written description of each bird has been carefully researched by the authors and is believed to be accurate. New scientific observations, however, could make some information out-of-date. If you are a professional ornithologist, and have new information that you are willing to share, please contact Dianne Harrah .