Diet
The American kestrel eats grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, dragonflies, butterflies, small mammals, sparrows and other small birds, reptiles, and amphibians. It perches on trees and telephone poles looking for prey. It hovers over its prey and then drops down on it. Unlike other falcons, the American kestrel often catches its prey on the ground.
Life Cycle
The American kestrel mates from March to early June, depending on its geographic location. The female American kestrel may mate with two or three males before settling on a single mate. She lays three to seven eggs. The female does most of the incubation. The eggs hatch in about a month. At first, the male brings food to the female who then feeds the chicks. Later, the male also feeds the chicks. The chicks fledge in about 30 days, but stay with their parents for a few weeks after fledging.
Behavior
Except for during mating season, the American kestrel is a solitary animal.
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The American kestrel breeds throughout North and South America from near the tree-line in Alaska and Canada south to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. )
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