Do Kestrels have talons?

Like all raptors the Kestrel uses its sharp talons to capture and kill prey. Additionally, it has a curved, pointed beak which is used to tear apart prey into smaller pieces. Although small, this bird exhibits noisy and aggressive behavior towards other raptors to protect its territory.

How can you tell an American kestrel?

American Kestrels are pale when seen from below and warm, rusty brown spotted with black above, with a black band near the tip of the tail. Males have slate-blue wings; females’ wings are reddish brown.

Are American kestrel rare?

The American Kestrel is the continent’s most common and widespread falcon, but populations declined by an estimated 1.39% per year between 1966 and 2017, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

Are Sparrowhawks the same as Kestrels?

The American kestrel (Falco sparverius), also called the sparrow hawk, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America.

Can a kestrel catch a pigeon?

Kestrels are a bird of prey and a type of falcon. This means they follow a carnivorous diet with mouse-sized prey their favoured meal, but they can and will catch and eat pigeons and other birds. Some birds are better equipped to be hunters and that is the case with the raptor family.

How can you tell a female kestrel?

Female kestrels are easy to identify by their rufous-coloring on their head, wings, and backs, with black barring. The female’s wings lack the male’s blue-gray color. Its rufous tail has barring with a shorter black band near the top of its tail. Their wing coverts and tail are rufous-brown, with black barring.

How can you tell the difference between a male and female kestrel?

Identifying a kestrel The male has blue-grey feathers on its head and tail and chestnut-brown feathers on its back, whilst the female’s feathers are brown. An adult female sports dark bars across its tail, whilst an adult male has an all grey tail with a deep black band at its base.

What does a Kestrel eat?

Voles are by far the most important food for kestrels, although they regularly take other small mammals such as woodmice and shrews, small birds, insects and earthworms. In towns they take birds more frequently because of lower availability of small mammals.

Is it legal to own a Kestrel?

In the US all wild birds (with three exceptions*) are covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA). This act makes it illegal for unlicensed individuals to own or posses any wild birds, parts of wild birds (including feathers), their nests or their eggs.

What does a kestrel eat?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlu2Kp2DJfE