American Kestrel Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesAmerican Kestrel
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 sound
Adult 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, 2016Female (Northern)
Females have orange-and-black barring on the upperparts and tail.
© Jerry Liguori / Macaulay LibraryNevada, September 25, 2009Adult (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 sound
Adult male (Northern)
Males' wings are blue-gray and black; their tail is mostly orange, with a broad black band bordered by a thin white tip.
© Alex Shipherd / Macaulay LibraryVirginia, January 22, 2021Adult 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 sound
Adult 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 sound
Adult male (Hispaniolan)
Adult males on Hispaniola are variable, with breast color ranging from chestnut (as in this individual) to white.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryLa Altagracia, January 08, 2019Adult male (South American)
Adult males in South America are paler than "Northern" males, with white underparts and more white on the head.
© 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, 2018Adult male (Northern)
The smallest falcon found in the U.S. and Canada.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, December 24, 2019Male and female (Northern)
Pairs nest in cavities, including nest boxes, old woodpecker holes, natural tree hollows, rock crevices, and nooks in buildings.
© Jerry Liguori / Macaulay LibraryUtah, January 23, 2011Habitat
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, 2016Similar SpeciesMerlin
Adult male (Taiga)
The Merlin is slightly larger, stockier, and much darker brown than the American Kestrel. It lacks the American Kestrel's vertical black streaks on the face and warm reddish brown on the back. Note also the Merlin's banded tail.
© Tim Lenz / Macaulay LibraryNew York, February 05, 2017Similar SpeciesMerlin
Adult (Taiga)
Merlins have a snappier flight style than American Kestrels. They also look like a powerhouse with strong, near-constant wingbeats, unlike the kestrel's buoyant and wandering flight style.
© Joel Trick / Macaulay LibraryWisconsin, July 15, 2017Similar SpeciesSharp-shinned Hawk
Adult (Northern)
Sharp-shinned Hawk is roughly kestrel sized, but it's an accipiter—it has broader wings, a longer tail, and is thicker through the chest. Sharp-shinned Hawks have heavier markings below and are not as warm red-brown on the back. They also hunt in more heavily wooded areas than kestrels.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 13, 2017Similar SpeciesMourning Dove
Adult
In flight, Mourning Doves can be confused with American Kestrels, but they tend to fly fast in straight lines, with nearly continuous wingbeats unlike American Kestrels, which typically wander and glide more frequently.
© Nancy Christensen / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 11, 2017Similar SpeciesMourning Dove
Adult
Mourning Doves occupy the same habitats as kestrels and often sit on telephone wires, but they have much smaller heads than kestrels and their tails are slender and pointed.
© Lewis Ulrey / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, November 05, 2015Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Falcons and Caracaras(Order: Falconiformes, Family: Falconidae)
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