Kestrel Facts: they HOVER while HUNTING 🦅 | Animal Fact Files

Instead of soaring through the air, kestrels hover while hunting. When they aren’t hunting on the wing, they walk along the ground and eat insects and other arthropods. Kestrels are unique birds of prey because the adults are sexually dimorphic: the females and males look different from one another! The kestrel is the smallest falcon. Most kestrel species are found throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia, though there is one bird commonly known as the American kestrel which lives throughout the Americas. It’s debated if the American kestrel should be considered a kestrel and it was actually known as the American sparrow hawk until its name was changed in 1983! Scientific Name: Kestrels are classified in the falcon genus (Falco) Range: worldwide (though there’s debate if the America kestrel is truly a kestrel) Size: 150-300g () Diet: small mammals like voles and mice, reptiles like snakes and geckos, amphibians like frogs, other birds, and insects like grass