For the Birds Radio Program: American Kestrel
Elliott Coues, an early American ornithologist, called it “the prettiest and jauntiest of our Hawks, and yet no prig.” William Brewster, a fervent cat-hater as well as prominent nineteenth century scientist, called the kestrel “most light-hearted and frolicsome.”
Transcript
(Recording of an American Kestrel)
That’s the call of the American Kestrel. Early settlers called it the sparrow hawk, after a familiar English bird, but it’s actually a falcon closely related to the European Kestrel. It does eat sparrows, especially in cities, but eats mostly grasshoppers, crickets, and dragonflies. The word “kestrel” probably comes from a French word which originally meant a leper’s clicket–a clapper used to warn people of a passing leper–this name was in reference to a kestrel’s noisy call.
(Recording of an American Kestrel)
The kestrel is a favorite of just about anyone who fancies birds of prey. Elliott Coues, an early American ornithologist, called it “the prettiest and jauntiest of our Hawks, and yet no prig.” William Brewster, a fervent cat-hater as well as prominent nineteenth century scientist, called the kestrel “most light-hearted and frolicsome.”
Kestrels are birds of farm country. Most people see them from cars along two-lane highways and interstates. The birds usually sit on utility wires or fences in the characteristic pose of falcons, which has been described as “hunched up and frowning.” Kestrels also can hover, furiously beating their wings but staying in one spot as they search the ground for a mouse or grasshopper. It’s often easy to see their rufous tail.
Like most birds of prey, female kestrels are larger, and more aggressive, than males, but even the females weigh only about 4 ounces. Most of the year these birds lead solitary lives, often defending a winter territory as well as a breeding one, although some ornithologists believe they mate for life. In August, birds that hatched over the summer often join together in small flocks, which stay together until they migrate. This is the most dangerous time of year for kestrels– about 75% of all kestrels die between August and November. Although some kestrels have been killed by blue jay attacks, cats, cars, lightning, hitting windows, and even locomotives, most of the banded ones that are found dead have been shot.
Most kestrels migrate to the southern U.S. and Mexico, but once in a while one will stick around as far north as Duluth for a whole winter. They fly over Hawk Ridge from August through September–on peak days you can see as many as 250 at the ridge, darting past on quick, slender wings and occasionally munching on dragonflies as they wing past.
Ornithologists have trouble deciding just how to put a bird call into human words. The kestrel’s call has been described as “killy killy killy,” “klee-klee-klee,” ki ree’, ki ree’ ki ree’ or qui-qui-qui. But it’s no problem understanding the meaning–this call is given during aggressive encounters with other kestrels or predators near the nest. A reasonable translation goes: (recording: Tim Winker–“I’m gonna knock your block off if you don’t keep your tail off my turf.”)
(Recording of a Kestrel)
This is Laura Erickson, and this program has been “For the Birds.”