American Kestrel: Pint-Sized Predator

Colorful, noisy, and brash, the American Kestrel is the most endearing of North America�s raptors. With its vivid rufous and blue-gray plumage, peppered with dashes of black and white, this bird of prey is instantly recognizable to both novice and expert bird watchers, whether it�sdiving for an insect on the wing or hovering over an open field while hunting for mice. The American Kestrel�s distinctive call, readily heard from miles away, is another identifier that makes this predator more noticeable than others. There�s no mistaking its klee, klee, klee, from which it received the nickname �killy hawk.�