© 2006 Tony Henneberg....Science Art-Birds

Title: Female Kestrel
Species: American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Artist: Tony Henneberg (for further information, click on the artist's name)
Image size: 23" x 18"
Medium: watercolor
Date: April 2006
Location: Pine Plains, NY

The artist notes: "These birds are commonly seen on exposed perches from which they survey their hunting grounds. The females are more subtly marked than males, and tend to be portrayed less often, which may be why I prefer to paint them. I painted the portrait on rag paper using watercolor over pencil."

American Kestrel coloration can vary a lot--not only from bird to bird, but also from region to region. For example, birds from the tropics are paler than those from temperate areas, as are birds in the dryer portions of the North American southwest. In addition, the birds are dimorphic, that is, males and females are not identical. Males are slightly smaller and differ most strikingly from females in the slate blue of their dorsal wings and the black-banded rufous of their tail. For either sex, it's not yet known if adult plumage changes with age.

Of all the North American falcons, this one--formerly called the Sparrow Hawk--is the smallest, the most numerous, and the most widespread. Worldwide, there are 12 other kestrel species, but the American Kestrel is the only one found in the Western Hemisphere. It prefers open areas, and often hovers above its intended prey--typically arthropods and small vertebrates--that are seized on the ground, but it sometimes takes prey in the air. It is a cavity nester, but does no excavating itself, depending instead on finding a natural or human-made site or an old woodpecker hole. It doesn't shy away from human disturbance, and will use artificial nest box that are increasingly available through conservation programs.