Sparrow hawk

Bell19.08 by Earl Plato

J inherited an old Peterson Field Guide. The Sparrow hawk was given the name American kestrel by Roger Tory Peterson. So this little article is about one of my favourite falcons, the kestrel. Gerry Rising, nature writer for the Buffalo News, shared the following this past Sunday. “The kestrel is indeed a tiny hawk. It is even smaller than a robin’s ten inches.” On the way to Welland from Ridgeway I see the kestrels perched on telephone lines on South Kaobel road. Rising says that the way they perch you can mistake them for mourning doves. See one up close and you can’t miss their beauty. Both males and females are very attractive. They both have bright rufous backs and tails. Both have boldly patterned heads. There are vertical gray lines on each side of the eyes. Kestrels hover 30 to 40 feet high over an open field looking for its prey in the grass. As a falcon it is designed for fast flight. Unlike accipiters such as the Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks their wings are sharply pointed. All falcons dash about in a great hurry. Accipiters usually flap and glide. Remember the kestrel’s former name? As a carnivore its diet in spring and summer are grasshoppers, dragonflies, lizards, mice and voles. In late fall and winter they will feed on small mammals and yes, mostly sparrows. Hence the name I learned - Sparrow hawk. A pair of kestrels communicate with high pitched screams of “killy-killy-killy”. I am told that it is similar to killdeer calls. Look for this great little bird this year. Think small, eh.