WEBVTT

00:00.000 --> 00:08.880
This is the American Kestrel, North America's smallest falcon and one of our most colorful

00:08.880 --> 00:11.320
raptors.

00:11.320 --> 00:20.080
Though it is a bird of prey, it's only about the size of a blue jay, tiny for a falcon.

00:20.080 --> 00:25.080
American Kestrels live throughout the Americas, with their range stretching from Alaska and

00:25.080 --> 00:32.160
Canada down to the southern tip of South America.

00:32.160 --> 00:37.840
Males are strikingly marked with slate blue wings and a rusty back, while females have

00:37.840 --> 00:42.560
a more camouflaged reddish-brown plumage.

00:42.560 --> 00:47.720
Kestrels live in open grasslands and agricultural fields, where they hunt using techniques like

00:47.720 --> 00:51.880
kiting, searching for prey below.

00:51.880 --> 00:57.720
Their diet is mostly large insects like grasshoppers, along with small rodents and the occasional

00:57.720 --> 01:02.160
small bird or reptile.

01:02.160 --> 01:07.040
Kestrels are in decline here in Pennsylvania, mainly due to habitat loss and fewer natural

01:07.040 --> 01:09.520
nesting cavities.

01:09.520 --> 01:15.160
But conservation efforts, like banding, help researchers track Kestrel's survival, and

01:15.160 --> 01:20.640
using nest boxes can replace lost tree cavities, giving these falcons safer places to raise

01:20.640 --> 01:24.160
their young.

01:24.160 --> 01:29.760
With open spaces and a little help from people, the American Kestrel can once again thrive

01:29.760 --> 01:30.680
in our skies.