| Throughout the year this colorful little falcon feeds on a diet of voles, mice and shrews. In summer it also feeds largely on grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and other large insects. They may also take a few small birds and the odd snake, frog, lizard, bat or earthworm. The habitat of the kestrel is mostly open country, farmland and wood edges. They can most often be seen perched on power lines overlooking farm fields, waiting for a meal. |
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The kestrel (formerly known as the sparrow hawk) is known to be the most visible bird of prey on the continent. Many people drive by several a day mistaking them for the similar sized mourning dove. They nest in eaves of barns, silos, woodpecker holes and are not opposed to human-made bird nesting boxes. They may lay between 3 and 7 eggs in one clutch. Their natural predators include raccoons and snakes, which destroy nests and eat the young. Death also occurs when they are hit by automobiles, shot, collide with windows, eat poisoned mice and suffer from effects of pesticides in the food chain. |
