In open country it is commonly seen perched on roadside wires, or hovering low over a field on rapidly beating wings, waiting to pounce on a grasshopper. North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. Our smallest falcon, the kestrel is also the most familiar and widespread in North America. In at least some regions in North America, the American Kestrel was becoming less common. The American Kestrel's North American population has been estimated at 1.2 million pairs, with the Central and South American populations being as large. For more information and to learn how you can help, please visit The Peregrine Fund’s American Kestrel Partnership website. The American kestrel is usually found in close proximity to open fields, either perched on a snag or telephone wire or hovering in search of prey. It is small compared to other birds of prey, but American Kestrel. An American kestrel is the smallest and most colorful falcon in North America and is one of the best known, most frequently observed, and readily identifiable raptors in North America. The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called ‘the Kestrel’. The females and juveniles can sometimes be nigh impossible, even for the most experienced observer. Widespread across Europe and Asia, it has strayed to our area from both directions, with scattered records for the northeast and for Alaska and British Columbia. The common kestrel ( F. tinnunculus ), ranging over most of the Old World and sometimes called the Old World, Eurasian, or European kestrel, is slightly larger than the American kestrel but less colourful. by Damian Fagan. Kestrels are conspicuous, colorful, open-habitat birds of prey about the size of a Mourning Dove. The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove. The first step in helping the kestrel is understanding why they are declining in the first place. North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. ... is rarely seen in the northwest Piedmont. The symposium essentially served to confirm our worst fears. The lesser kestrel (F. naumanni), which much resembles a small common kestrel with no black on the upperside except wing and tail tips, is probably not very closely related to the present species, and the American kestrel (F. sparverius) is apparently not a true kestrel at all. The name kestrel (from French crécerelle, derivative from crécelle, i.e. The American kestrel is our smallest and most common falcon. See more. What they … Our smallest falcon, the kestrel is also the most familiar and widespread in North America. Falco sparverius. The Common Kestrel or European Kestrel can be found across Europe, Asia and Africa and sometimes even reaches the east coast of North America. These experiences, or those lived vicariously through stories of others, mold our attitudes and beliefs about how falconry should be practiced. American Kestrel Sparrow Hawk - Falco sparverius. When a once common animal starts to become not-so-common, action needs to be taken. Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni / Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus. But the kestrel is relatively common throughout the state year-round.