American Kestrel Photo Gallery
Adult male (Northern)
Small falcon with a small head. Adult males are rusty above with slate-blue wings and two black slashes on the face. Often bobs its tail while perched.
© Michael JD | Macaulay LibraryOntario, January 03, 2020Female (Northern)
Small falcon about the size of a Mourning Dove. Females are rusty overall with black barring on the wings and back. They have two black slashes on their face and a gray crown.
© Bryan Calk | Macaulay LibraryNew Mexico, February 19, 2019Adult female (Northern)
Often hunts by flapping into the wind to hover in place, scanning the ground below.
© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay LibraryOctober 01, 1997Not all videos have soundAdult male (Northern)
In flight, note long, pointed wings, slender body, and deep wing beats. Males in flight have a thicker black band on the tail.
© Jacob Drucker | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 06, 2016Adult (Northern)
Flies with quick, light wingbeats interspersed with glides. At distance, note slim body with long tail.
© Larry Arbanas | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 01, 2005Not all videos have soundAdult male (Cuban)
Two color morphs of resident birds occur in Cuba: a pale and a dark morph. This pale morph has more white on the face and is very pale below.
© Adam Bowley | Macaulay LibraryCamagüey, February 27, 2019Adult female (Northern)
Nests in holes in trees; also in nest boxes. Note how kestrels often pump their tails after landing. This video has no audio.
© Larry Arbanas | Macaulay LibraryTexasNot all videos have soundAdult male (Cuban)
Dark morph residents in Cuba have a dark rusty belly.
© Yeray Seminario | Macaulay LibraryLa Habana, January 12, 2017Female (Cuban)
Resident females in Cuba have rusty wings with black barring and pale underparts with rusty spots.
© Noah Frade | Macaulay LibraryNorth Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, July 03, 2016Adult male and adult female (Northern)
Male may feed female as part of courtship. Note distinctive habit of pumping tail while perched.
© Larry Arbanas | Macaulay LibraryTexasNot all videos have soundAdult male (South American)
© Alessandro Rômulo Carneiro | Macaulay LibrarySanta Catarina, November 11, 2016Adult male (Northern)
Males and females have pairs of black vertical slashes on the sides of their pale faces—sometimes called a “mustache” and a “sideburn."
© Matthew Pendleton | Macaulay LibraryUtah, March 26, 2018Habitat
Found in open areas from deserts and grasslands to alpine meadows. Often seen perching on telephone wires along roadsides or fence posts.
© Tim Lenz | Macaulay LibraryNevada, January 04, 2016Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Falcons and Caracaras(Order: Falconiformes, Family: Falconidae)
Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.