The smallest falcon in California, the American Kestrel has two distinctive facial stripes beneath the eye and a rusty—brown back with black or grey wings. Look for the American Kestrel perched on telephone wires and lamp—posts looking over open fields, or hovering in the wind. It eats small rodents, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and large insects.
Fun Fact The species name, sparverius, is latin for "pertaining to sparrows." American Kestrels occasionally hunt sparrows.