American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Smallest falcon, biggest attitude. Hovers in place until you open the message.

Population: ~9.2 million mature individuals globally
Habitat: Open and semi-open country — grasslands, meadows, deserts, farmland, forest clearings, and urban/suburban areas with perches and nesting cavities
Fun fact: It is North America's smallest and most common falcon, and despite its name, DNA evidence shows it is not closely related to true kestrels but is an evolutionarily basal falcon whose kestrel-like hunting style arose through convergent evolution.
Range: Throughout the Americas, from central/western Alaska and northern Canada (to Nova Scotia) south through the continental US, Mexico, and Central America to Tierra del Fuego in South America; absent from Arctic fringes and dense Amazon rainforest
Diet: Mainly large insects (grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, dragonflies), plus small mammals (mice, voles), lizards, frogs, and small birds
Size: 0.265 m
Wingspan: 0.56 m
Lifespan: 11.6 years

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