American kestrel

American kestrel with dragonfly prey. Photo by Tom Koerner / USFWS CC BY 2.0
American kestrel with dragonfly prey in its bill.
September 1, 2015, Sweetwater County, Wyoming
Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS CC BY 2.0
Source: Flickr

About the American kestrel

  • The American kestrel is Minnesota's most colorful and smallest falcon. It is approximately the same size as a mourning dove.
  • Their diet consists mostly of insects like grasshoppers, butterflies and moths as well as small rodents such as mice, shrews and voles.
  • The kestrel is a cavity dweller and will nest in tree hollows, crevices in rocks, old woodpecker holes and even nooks and crannies in human-built structures.
  • The incubation period for their eggs is about a month, and once hatched, it takes approximately another month before the young leave the nest.
  • American kestrels migrate. Expand the "Migration animation" section below to learn more.

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Migration animation

Click the full-frame icon (lower right corner of video) to play at full size.

More about eBird's abundance animations

eBird data from 2006-2020. Estimated for 2020. Fink, D., T. Auer, A. Johnston, M. Strimas-Mackey, O. Robinson, S. Ligocki, W. Hochachka, L. Jaromczyk, C. Wood, I. Davies, M. Iliff, L. Seitz. 2021. eBird Status and Trends, Data Version: 2020; Released: 2021. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. https://doi.org/10.2173/ebirdst.2020

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for changes to American kestrels' presence (or absence), abundance, and behaviors at different times of year. Also, pay attention to when young-of-year appear and develop.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing American kestrel phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this bird or collect data in a standardized way.

Pair of American kestrels perched together in leafless tree, observed in the month of March
Four American kestrel young in a nest box, observed in the month of June
American kestrel (female) on the ground. Barely detectable whisps of down suggest that this bird is a young-of-year. Observed in the month of August
American kestrel silhouetted against a hazy, vast landscape. Observed in the month of September.
American kestrel on a wire against a brilliant blue sky. Observed in the month of November.
American kestrel in flight. Long pointed wings and aerodynamic shape allow speed.
American kestrel perched on a branch with buds, no leaves. Observed in the month of February.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.

Sherburne County

Arrival

  • Earliest: February 14 (occurred in 2003)
  • Average: March 16
  • Latest: April 3 (occurred in 1984)
Scatterplot showing American kestrel arrival in Sherburne County

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

American kestrel (Falco sparverius) in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas

American kestrel (Falco sparverius) in Nature's Notebook

 

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Keep exploring Season Watch

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Times of year

Co-author: Jayme Hogan, Minnesota Master Naturalist