Quick Answer
The American Kestrel is a small falcon, not a hawk. It belongs to the Falconidae family, which includes falcons and caracaras. The American Kestrel has long, pointed wings and a long tail, which are characteristics of falcons. Its scientific name is Falco sparverius, reflecting its membership in the falcon genus Falco. So the American Kestrel is definitely classified as a falcon, not a hawk.
What are the characteristics of falcons versus hawks?
Falcons and hawks are both raptors, but there are some key differences between them:
Falcons
- Pointed, elongated wings
- Long tails
- Swift, powerful flight
- Curved beaks
- Feed primarily on birds
- Dive at prey from heights
Hawks
- Broad, rounded wings
- Shorter tails
- Soaring flight
- Hooked beaks
- Feed on a variety of prey like rodents, reptiles
- Strike prey from low flight
The light, streamlined bodies and long wings and tails of falcons allow them to achieve incredible speeds and maneuverability in flight. This adapts them perfectly for hunting other birds. Hawks have shorter wingspans and more compact bodies suited for slower, sustained flight and hunting a variety of prey in diverse habitats.
What does the American Kestrel look like?
The American Kestrel is North America’s smallest falcon. It measures about 9-12 inches long with a wingspan of 20-24 inches. It has long, pointed wings and a moderately long, square-tipped tail. The male American Kestrel has colorful plumage with a slate-blue head and wings, rusty-red back and tail, and white with black spots underparts. The female is slightly larger than the male and has rusty brown upperparts with vertical streaking and lighter underparts with dark spotting. Both sexes have two distinctive vertical black stripes on their white faces. These serve as a mustache and sideburns!
The American Kestrel’s appearance aligns closely with typical falcon characteristics – elongated, pointed wings, long tail, and bold plumage patterns. The dark mustache and sideburns on its face are a uniquely identifiable mark of this petite falcon.
| Feature | American Kestrel (Falcon) | Red-tailed Hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 9-12 inches long | 18-25 inches long |
| Wingspan | 20-24 inches | 48-56 inches |
| Wings | Long, pointed | Broad, rounded |
| Tail | Long for a falcon | Shorter |
| Plumage | Blue head and wings, rufous back and tail, spotted underparts | Brown above, pale below with dark belly band |
| Face pattern | Black “mustache” and “sideburns” | Plain |
How does the American Kestrel hunt?
The American Kestrel is built for speed and agility in the air. Its hunting strategy is to perch and scan for prey from an elevated vantage point like a tree, pole, or wire. When it spots prey, it takes off rapidly, hovering above the target before making its swift, decisive strike.
Kestrels have two main hunting techniques:
Hover-hunting
The kestrel beats its wings vigorously to hover in place above its prey before plunging straight down to grab it. This allows it to zero in precisely on the target.
High-speed diving
The kestrel spots prey while soaring at a high altitude, then goes into a steep, rapid dive towards its target. It reaches speeds of over 60 mph in these stoops! This gives the prey little time to react or escape.
Kestrels primarily feed on large insects, small mammals like voles and mice, small birds, and reptiles like lizards. Their exceptional eyesight and ability to remain perfectly still while hovering makes them effective hunters able to snatch up unsuspecting prey on the ground.
Where does the American Kestrel live?
The American Kestrel has an enormous range across the Western Hemisphere. It is found from Alaska and Canada down through Central and South America. Across this vast range, the American Kestrel occupies open country habitat types including meadows, grasslands, savannahs, deserts, and both urban and rural human settlements. It is sometimes called the Sparrow Hawk due to its affinity for grasshoppers in open fields.
The American Kestrel does particularly well living near humans and is even able to thrive in cities. It often nests in nooks and cavities of human constructions like barns, buildings, and high-rise ledges. Kestrels are even comfortable using nest boxes, enabling them to breed around developed areas.
Some key factors the American Kestrel needs in its habitat include:
- Open areas for hunting
- Elevated perches for scanning prey
- Cavities for nesting
- Short ground vegetation
As long as these habitat requirements exist, the kestrel is likely to be found nearly anywhere in the Americas. Its ability to co-exist so well near humans has helped the American Kestrel maintain healthy populations despite intense habitat changes across its range.
How does the American Kestrel reproduce?
The American Kestrel breeds in the springtime across most of its range. Courtship displays begin in late winter or early spring. The male kestrel shows off with aerial demonstrations and calling while the female perches quietly nearby.
Once paired, the female kestrel lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs within the nest cavity. The nest site is chosen by both the male and female. It is usually 10-70 feet high on a sheltered ledge, tree hollow, building crevice, or nest box. The female incubates the eggs for 26-32 days while the male provides food for her.
The eggs hatch over 2-3 days, and the chicks fledge in 4-5 weeks. Within two weeks of leaving the nest, the young kestrels become proficient hunters and disperse to establish their own breeding territories. Kestrels may begin breeding as early as one year old. Their lifespan in the wild is typically 5-10 years.
Why is the American Kestrel called a falcon?
The American Kestrel possesses several physical and behavioral traits that clearly identify it as a falcon rather than a hawk:
- Elongated, pointed wings built for speed
- Long, narrow tail
- Falcon-like dive-bombing hunting style
- Plumage and facial markings typical for a falcon
- Genus and species is Falco sparverius
- Classified in the Falconidae family
Despite its small size, the American Kestrel flies, hunts, and looks like other larger falcons. This includes close relatives like the larger Peregrine Falcon. The kestrel belongs to the same genus and family as other unmistakable falcons found worldwide. So taxonomically and biologically, the American Kestrel is undoubtedly a miniature North American falcon!
How is the American Kestrel different from hawks?
While the American Kestrel is often confused with the sparrowhawk in other parts of the world, it is very different from hawks of North America like the Sharp-shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk. Some key differences include:
Hunting
- Kestrels primarily feed on insects and small birds
- Kestrels hover and dive on prey from above
- Hawks take mostly mammals, reptiles, amphibians
- Hawks strike prey by approaching from below
Flight
- Kestrels fly with quick, jerky wingbeats
- Kestrels are capable of hovering
- Hawks soar and fly with steady wing beats
- Hawks do not hover
Size & shape
- Kestrels have long, narrow wings and tails
- Hawks have shorter, broader wings and tails
- Kestrels are smaller and more delicate overall
Plumage
- Kestrels have colorful red backs with black-spotted underparts
- Hawks have brownish upperparts and lighter underparts with streaking
- Kestrels have bold facial markings
Overall, the differences in plumage, shape, flight style, and hunting between the American Kestrel and North American hawk species clearly separate them into two distinct groups – falcons and hawks.
Conclusion
The American Kestrel is commonly called the Sparrow Hawk, but this small, colorful raptor is actually a member of the Falconidae – making it a true falcon. Its physical structure and aerodynamic hunting techniques are adapted for speed, agility, and taking birds on the wing. This aligns with other falcons, but differs from the broader wings, shorter tails, and more varied diet of hawks. While they may seem superficially similar, kestrels and hawks belong to distinct taxonomic families. So the next time you see an American Kestrel perched or hovering over an open field, you can confidently call it by its proper name – the American Falcon!
