Wesley's Backyard Birds
American Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk)

Perhaps the most colorful raptor in the world, the American Kestrel is the most common and smallest falcon in North America. They grow to 9-12 inches with a wingspan of 20-24 inches, females being larger. American Kestrels are widely distributed across the Americas. Their breeding range extends from central and western Alaska across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America, into central Mexico, the Baja, and the Caribbean. This bird is also known as the "Sparrow Hawk" due to them catching and feeding on small birds mainly such as sparrows; although birds are a small portion of their diet and they're of course a falcon, not a hawk. American Kestrels (along with the Red-tailed Hawk) are one of two raptors almost universally used by falconers in the United States, largely due to federal laws restricting the possession of the other raptors. Size: 9-12 inches; Wingspan: 20-24 inches