Birds › Falcons and Caracaras
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Sounds
- Recording by Jonathon Jongsma (XC254589). CC-BY-SA · Source
Easily confused with
MerlinFalco columbarius
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Cooper's HawkAstur cooperii
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
Eurasian KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
Aplomado FalconFalco femoralis
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| Indiana | 93,674 |
|---|---|
| United States | 82,215 |
| North Carolina | 79,659 |
| Georgia | 65,441 |
| Maine | 49,918 |
| Connecticut | 40,989 |
| South Carolina | 40,536 |
| New Hampshire | 39,639 |
| Alaska | 38,120 |
| California | 24,851 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- CarnivoreEats other animals or animal-derived prey as a major part of its diet.Inferred from its group
Group and habits
- PredatorDescends from an animal lineage whose members commonly hunt other animals.Inferred from its group
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Invertebrate eaterListed by a harvested source as primarily eating invertebrates.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Rock nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on rocks or cliffs.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Ground nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on the ground.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Cavity nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in cavities.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Bamboo nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in bamboo.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Falcons and Caracaras · Falconiformes |
| Family | Falcons and Caracaras · Falconidae |
| Genus | Typical Falcons · Falco |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of Bogota Capital District, Colombia
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Centre Wellington, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Gallatin County, Montana, United States
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of Pennsylvania, United States
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise American Kestrel with real photos from different observers and its recordings. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.