Photo: Fedaro Fernando da Rosa / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) — Birds of Prey of North America.
Found across 12 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a member of the Falconidae family found in Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Adults weigh 115 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Falconiformes
- Family Falconidae Caracaras, Falcons
- Genus Falco
- Species sparverius
Quick facts
- Weight
- 115 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Falconidae
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Male vs female
Sexes differ clearly: males have blue-gray wings and a rufous, black-tipped unbarred tail, while females have rufous wings and a rufous tail with many narrow black bars; both share the rufous back and paired black facial 'moustache' marks.
Juvenile appearance
Kestrels acquire sex-specific plumage unusually early, so juveniles broadly resemble the same-sex adult (young males already show blue-gray wings), though juvenile males have more heavily streaked/spotted underparts and a more fully barred back that clean up after the first-fall molt.
Similar birds
Least Concern
Endangered
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The American Kestrel is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of open grassland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The American Kestrel is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) belongs to the Falconidae family of the order Falconiformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Its distribution covers NA, MA, SA widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 115 g, with a wing length of about 18.2 cm and a tail of around 12.7 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 26.6 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the American Kestrel?
The American Kestrel is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 115 g.
Where does the American Kestrel live?
The American Kestrel is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America with a range covering NA, MA, SA widespread, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the American Kestrel belong to?
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) belongs to the Falconidae family, in the order Falconiformes.
What does the American Kestrel eat?
The American Kestrel is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the American Kestrel migrate?
The American Kestrel is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the American Kestrel endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the American Kestrel make?
1 real field recording of the American Kestrel — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the American Kestrel's range?
The American Kestrel has a mapped global range of about 26.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
How to Attract American Kestrel to Your Yard
How to attract American Kestrel to your yard — the habitat, water and plantings that bring them in (they aren't a seed-feeder bird), plus nesting help.