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This is the American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon and one of our most colorful

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raptors.

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Though it is a bird of prey, it's only about the size of a blue jay, tiny for a falcon.

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American Kestrels live throughout the Americas, with their range stretching from Alaska and

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Canada down to the southern tip of South America.

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Males are strikingly marked with slate blue wings and a rusty back, while females have

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a more camouflaged reddish-brown plumage.

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Kestrels live in open grasslands and agricultural fields, where they hunt using techniques like

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kiting, searching for prey below.

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Their diet is mostly large insects like grasshoppers, along with small rodents and the occasional

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small bird or reptile.

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Kestrels are in decline here in Pennsylvania, mainly due to habitat loss and fewer natural

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nesting cavities.

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But conservation efforts, like banding, help researchers track Kestrel's survival, and

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using nest boxes can replace lost tree cavities, giving these falcons safer places to raise

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their young.

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With open spaces and a little help from people, the American Kestrel can once again thrive

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in our skies.