This is the American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon and one of our most colorful
raptors.
Though it is a bird of prey, it's only about the size of a blue jay, tiny for a falcon.
American Kestrels live throughout the Americas, with their range stretching from Alaska and
Canada down to the southern tip of South America.
Males are strikingly marked with slate blue wings and a rusty back, while females have
a more camouflaged reddish-brown plumage.
Kestrels live in open grasslands and agricultural fields, where they hunt using techniques like
kiting, searching for prey below.
Their diet is mostly large insects like grasshoppers, along with small rodents and the occasional
small bird or reptile.
Kestrels are in decline here in Pennsylvania, mainly due to habitat loss and fewer natural
nesting cavities.
But conservation efforts, like banding, help researchers track Kestrel's survival, and
using nest boxes can replace lost tree cavities, giving these falcons safer places to raise
their young.
With open spaces and a little help from people, the American Kestrel can once again thrive
in our skies.