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This is the American Kestrel,

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North America's smallest falcon,

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and one of our most colorful

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raptors.

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Though it is a bird of prey, it's

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only about the size of a bluejay.

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Tiny for a falcon.

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American kestrels live throughout

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the Americas, with their

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range stretching from Alaska and

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Canada down to the southern tip

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of South America.

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Males are strikingly marked with

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slate blue wings and a rusty back,

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while females have a more

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camouflaged reddish-brown plumage.

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Kestrels live in open grasslands and

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agricultural fields, where

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they hunt using techniques like

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kiting, searching for prey below.

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Their diet is mostly large insects

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like grasshoppers, along

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with small rodents and the

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occasional small bird or reptile.

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Kestrels are in decline here in

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Pennsylvania, mainly due to

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habitat loss and fewer natural

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nesting cavities.

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But conservation efforts, like

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banding, help researchers track

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kestrel survival.

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And using nest boxes can replace

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lost tree cavities, giving these

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falcons safer places to raise their

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young.

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With open spaces and a little

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help from people, the American

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Kestrel can once again thrive in

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our skies.