The Smallest of Raptors

If you want to see a falcon, your best chance would be during the autumn, when they’re migrating south along the Outer Banks. Two species, the Peregrine Falcon and Merlin, tend to pass through this area quickly. The smallest of the falcons, the American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, often lingers here for a few months in the fall and early winter.

I felt very fortunate to spot this male Kestrel in early November as he perched overlooking an abandoned athletic field. From a distance, he looked similar to a Mourning Dove, dark and about the same size. Here he is on a cable, surveying the surroundings…

I encountered another male Kestrel in October, who looked a bit different. He had taken up residence about seven miles away around a grassy cemetery. Judging by his ruffled appearance and less distinct colors, he’s probably a first-year bird. It’s not a female Kestrel, however, since females have brown wings rather than blue-gray.

Kestrels hunt from elevated perches that offer good visibility of the surrounding area. I watched this young Kestrel as he scanned the wide expanse of mowed grass in the open area below his perch. He suddenly swooped down to grab some sort of prey, such as a large insect. Then he returned to the perch to eat. Kestrels feed on a variety of insects, plus small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

The young American Kestral resting on one leg after finishing his meal…

How well do Kestrels see? They can spot small prey from nearly two miles away, then fly rapidly to catch them with incredible precision. Their vision is estimated to be more than eight times better than that of humans. In addition, they can see ultraviolet light, which is invisible to the human eye.  My subject (below) kept his powerful eyes on me the whole time I was photographing him…

Kestrels have eyes in the back of their heads too. No kidding! It’s a unique adaptation they have that can deter their own potential predators, such as larger raptors. On the back of the Kestrel’s head, there are two dark eyespots. When viewed from the back or side, it looks like there’s a face. It probably fools predators into thinking the Kestrel sees them and is prepared for an attack. Does the fake face fool you?

Another interesting adaptation that the Kestrel shares with other falcons is the falcon’s tooth, a small projection in the upper beak, just behind the tip. Using this, falcons quickly kill their prey by snapping the spine. 

The young Kestrel put up with harassment from other birds who recognized him as a threat. Here he’s fending off the scolding of two Mockingbirds that tried to remove him from their territory. One of them did some fancy aerial tricks in the process…

If that wasn’t enough, he also had to tolerate scolding from an irritated Blue Jay, his equal in size…

Once called the sparrow hawk, the American Kestel is not a hawk at all and is not even related to hawks and eagles. Like other falcons, it resembles the larger raptors in predatory behavior and high intelligence. Believe it or not, falcons more closely related to parrots.

Here are some other birds of prey that I’ve photographed…   

• Look-Alike Hawks >>
• Yucatan Raptors >>
• Rooftop Eagle >>
• Osprey Nest >>