The Sparrow Hawk

In mid-August I was contacted to identify a small hawk that was found by Steve Gregory and to determine what could be done with it. Upon examining the hawk, I determined that it was a fledgling male American Kestrel. It appeared that the fledgling had not quite perfected flight and likely left the nest (suspected to be in an overhead door opening) a little too early.

The American Kestrel is a small falcon, the size of a robin, and is known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". In summer, kestrels feed largely on grasshoppers, dragonflies, mice, voles, and will also eat other small birds, such as sparrows and warblers. Kestrels are sexually dimorphic, the male and female being different in appearance, with the female being slightly larger. The adults range in height from 20-28 cm (8-11 in) and weigh about 115 grams (4 oz).

Males have blue-grey secondary feathers on their wings, with white undersides with black barring. The back is rufous in color, with barring on the lower half. The belly and flanks are white with black spotting. The tail is also rufous, with a black subterminal band. The female is drabber with a rufous back with dark brown barring with similar coloration on the back and wings. The undersides of the females are white with rufous streaking and have a rufous tail with narrow dark brown or black bars. Juveniles exhibit coloration patterns similar to the adults. In both sexes, the head is white with a bluish-grey top, two narrow, vertical black facial markings on each side of the head; one below the eyes and one on the rear portion of the face.

American Kestrels are found in a variety of open habitats including fields, forest edges, grasslands, and marshes. A cavity nester, American Kestrels will use holes in trees, rock cavities and crevices in cliffs, artificial nest boxes, or small spaces in buildings to make its nest. The American Kestrel is the only North American falcon to hover with rapid wing beats, while scanning the ground for prey. Kestrels commonly perch along fences and are often seen on power lines.

American Kestrels are widely distributed across North America. Their breeding range extends from central and western Alaska, across northern Canada and south throughout South America. Most of the birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate south in the winter.

I suggested that the fledgling Kestrel found on the ground be left where he was as his parents, who were occasionally sighted, would still continue to feed him. He was sighted several times in the following days, increasing the length and duration of his flights until he was completely independent and moved on to forage on his own. A successful fledging and an example of how nature takes care of itself, with no need of human intervention!

Tony Chubbs is a Wildlife Biologist, Naturalist, avid Sportsman and Outdoors Writer and resides in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He can be contacted at chubbs@nf.sympatico.ca