American Kestrel Gallery

Female Kestrels

A female American kestrel perched on a plant at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Falco

There are a handful of true falcons that typically breed in North America, all belonging to the genus Falco, with the smallest being the American kestrel (falco sparverius). The kestrels at Ridgefield are pretty wary and often won't stay perched if you pass on the auto tour, and probably for good reason, as there are a number of other birds of prey that share these hunting grounds that dwarf the little falcons in size. This lovely female was a ways off the road and stayed still for a few pictures before she took to the skies again to resume the hunt.

A female American kestrel eats a mouse at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Not For the Squeamish

Rodents play a crucial role in the foodchain for many predators at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The Townsend’s vole is a food source for a variety of predators, including herons, egrets, hawks, owls, and coyotes. Kestrels are much smaller than most hawks and all eagles, and this female has caught something much smaller than a vole: a mouse. There are two species of mice at Ridgefield, the deer mouse and the Pacific jumping mouse, and I’m not sure which one this is.

Was. Which one this was.

A female American kestrel perches on the end of a tree branch at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Featherweight

Even though the weight of the kestrel bends the branch downward, what is remarkable is that a bird of this size can perch at the end of such a thin branch at all — a true testament to the lightweight structure many birds have evolved.

Male Kestrels

A male American kestrel sits on a sign beside the auto tour at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

The best place to watch for kestrels at Ridgefield is on the signs that dot the edges of the large meadows at the end of the auto tour. There aren't any natural perches on that side of the road, so the kestrels use the metal posts as their vantage point for watching mice moving about in the fields.

Or for regaling visitors with wild stories from their youth.

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