American Kestrel, female, with prey
Falco sparverius
American Kestrel · San Diego · 6 March 2026
A female American Kestrel on a perch in San Diego with prey, most likely a large insect or a lizard, already reduced to scraps. Kestrels are the falcon of open country across the Americas, hunting from a perch or a hover over grassland and scrub, and a Californian park with lawns and fence posts suits them well.
Brown, barred wings rather than the male's blue-grey mark a female; North America's smallest falcon, and one of the few raptors with such a clear difference in colour between the sexes. Kestrels take a wide range of prey well below the size most falcons bother with.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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