The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon found in North America. They have a slate blue head with their bellies and backs being covered in rusty brown feathers.
These birds are happy to make their nests near human modified areas, making sure to nest in denser tree areas when it is time to mate.
American Kestrels are known to be very territorial, particularly during mating season.
A male may make various swooping dives from his nest to advertise its territory, they have also been known to group up and attack hawks that invade their nesting areas during mating season.
American Kestrels can be found across the whole state of Texas and with them being relatively common a lot of work has been done on their mapping distribution.
Across a variety of ecological areas in Texas it was found that the two areas with the highest amount of these birds were Rolling Plains and Pineywoods.
These areas are a good place to start if you want to see one of these birds, look for tall trees and manmade structures where they may build their nests.
The mating season for this falcon is during the spring and can range from March to August, this is the best time to see an American Kestrel as they are more active and territorial during the mating season.
You are also more likely to see these birds during the middle of the day which is when they hunt.
Males will also bring food for females during the mating season so their hunting activity throughout the day increases, giving you a great chance to spot the American Kestrel in action.
My wife and I were setting in the back yard and seen a peregrine falcon. A couple of weekends ago we thought we saw a hawk. When I looked on your site I realized it was a prairie falcon. My wife has seen the peregrine a few times this was my first time seeing on without a tether. It was awesome!!!
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