Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA

Habitat : Grasslands
Food : Small Animals
Nesting : Cavity
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern

"North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in open territory, kestrels perch on wires or poles, or hover facing into the wind, flapping and adjusting their long tails to stay in place. Kestrels are declining in parts of their range; you can help them by putting up nest boxes... Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. This enables kestrels to make out the trails of urine that voles, a common prey mammal, leave as they run along the ground. Like neon diner signs, these bright paths may highlight the way to a meal—as has been observed in the Eurasian Kestrel, a close relative."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

Tags:   1D3A0333 American Kestrel Falco sparverius Kestrel Raptor Bird Bird of Prey nature nature photography Bird Photography Wildlife Wildlife Photography Mark Heatherington Rogue Valley Jackson County Oregon

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