Cooperative Living February 2015 - 27

THE KESTREL
- OUR LITTLEST FALCON -
I
magine fields of dry grasses, old
flowers, low-growing shrubs, and
trees shuddering under the blast of
a cold, strong, northwesterly wind that
whips up little " dust devils " from any
exposed barren, rock-hard ground.
Winter still holds the land in its icy grip.
Generally most wildlife, birds in
particular, minimize their activity,
except maybe crows or vultures
searching for food. A slight movement
at the top of a lifeless sumac or a dead
upright branch of a tree may catch
your attention.
A closer look and you might notice
a bird sitting upright, feathers fluffed,
occasionally ruffled by the wind. At
times its only movement is the jerking
of its tail as if it were nervous.
Suddenly it takes wing, swooping
down at first to pick up speed, its long,
pointed wings carrying it quickly to a
patch of dried, weather-worn vegetation.
Here it rises up to about 20 yards,
turns into the wind, and hovering on
quick-beating, seemingly tireless
wings, it scans the field below. After a
minute or so, it suddenly drops and
swoops down to the ground, stabbing
its feet into the grasses. Moments
later, it rises to a utility pole, a small
meadow vole clutched in its talons,
and begins to feed.
This drama, if you've witnessed it,
is the hunting technique of our
smallest falcon, the kestrel. Also
known as sparrow hawk, grasshopper
hawk, killy hawk, mouse hawk or
wind hover, the kestrel measures
between 9 and 11 inches.
The male's back is basically
cinnamon or rufous in color, with
bluish wings, while its undersides are
light rusty to buff with small black
spots, which become larger on the
flanks. Its back and shoulders can be
evenly barred with black, although
young birds may be more heavily
barred and others may be sparsely
marked. The tail too, is rufous with a
broad band of black edged with a band
February 2015/www.co-opliving.com
of white. This also can vary and have
black bands across it with white and
black edging the tail feathers on each side.
The kestrel's head is bluish-black as
well, with a patch of chestnut brown at
the top. Its throat and cheeks are whitish
with vertical black markings below the
eye and farther back, bordering its cheek.
Female kestrels are similar, except they
lack the bluish coloring and are rufous
on back and wings.
Even in a strong
wind it seems to
be able to
maintain its
hunting posture,
as if suspended by
an invisible string.
The kestrel prefers open country and
has been able to adapt to living close to
humans, sometimes living and nesting
in cities and towns and even on the
ledges of tall downtown buildings. Its
normal flight is light and buoyant and
on occasion its call of " kee-kee-kee, " or
" killy-killy-killy, " can be heard. It hunts
from a lookout perch high atop utility
poles, wires, fence posts, dead tree
snags, and the tops of barren branches.
From this high perch, it is able to see a
long distance as it watches for rodents
and other prey.
When prey is spotted, powerful
deep wing beats carry it quickly to
the location, where it turns into the
wind to hover. Even in a strong wind
it seems to be able to maintain its
hunting posture, as if suspended by
an invisible string. When its prey is
pinpointed, the kestrel drops down
to pounce on it, then carries it to a
high perch.
It's interesting to note that the
kestrel has black markings
surrounding its eyes, as do other
birds of prey and even some
mammals like the cheetah. Could it
be that the dark patches prevent
glare or absorb sunlight, akin to
football players who blacken beneath
their eyes for an afternoon game?
Despite the help of non-glare eye
markings, the kestrel will sometimes
miss an intended target, at which
time it returns to a high observation
point to continue its vigil.
While the kestrel is an excellent
" mouser, " its main foods during
warmer weather are grasshoppers,
locusts, crickets, lizards, and small
snakes and birds. Come the colder
months it turns more to small
rodents and small birds.
The kestrel nests in natural tree
cavities, deserted woodpecker or
kingfisher holes, occasionally in rock
cavities and will sometimes use
manmade nesting boxes. Almost no
nesting materials are used for the four
to six pinkish-white brown-spotted
eggs. Incubation will take 28 to 30
days. Young kestrels are unusual
because at an early age, their gender
can be identified by their plumage.
They'll remain in and around the nest
for up to four weeks.
While the kestrel is common and
widespread over much of the United
States, in the Mid-Atlantic, it is
most apt to be seen from October
through February, in particular on
the coastal plain and in any open
farmland and fields. 
25
Cooperative Living February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living February 2015
