American Kestrel, Falco sparverius

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius. Birds photographed in the greater Santa Barbara area, Santa Barbara, California, September 2021. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius. Birds photographed in the bush of the Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur, December 2019. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius. Photographs taken within the greater Bahía de los Ángeles area, Baja California, November 2015 and January 2024. Photographs courtesy of George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles. Identifications courtesy of Mary & George Flicker, Bahía de los Ángeles.

The American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, is a member of the Falconidae Family of Falcons and Caracaras and is one of North America’s smallest falcons and most colorful of all raptors. They are found throughout Mexico at elevations below 3,690 m (12,100 feet). From a conservation perspective, the American Kestrel is categorized by the IUCN as Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations noting that in some regions their populations are in decline. They are found in open country including cities, farmland, and the edges of woods. They consume large insects, birds, small mammals, and reptiles.