62 American Kestrel

• A group of American Kestrels are called a; Hover / Flight / Soar.
• We took this picture of a mature male near St. Lazare.  
• Most people growing up called this bird a Sparrow Hawk, but it is a Kestrel.
• They migrate to the prairies during breeding season. 
• These very colorful predator.  It is the smallest of the falcons and is used for falconry.
• They eat a variety of insects, birds, amphibians and mammals.  They have been known to sit on polls at stadiums during the evening games useing the lights that attract moths to capture and eat.  Smart bird.
• They are not very good house keepers, squirting feces on the walls of the nest and leaving uneaten prey the place becomes a smelly mess by the time they leave it.
• It is tough being the smallest bird of prey, they are under attack from many other hawks, owls, snakes, and some mammals.

• In the winter the females fly south first and live in more open areas, where as the males travel south latter and live in more wooded areas.
• The Kestrel uses ultraviolet light to track paths that voles and mice use.
• They store excess food in clumps on trees or posts to use when hunting is poor.