The Story
I photographed this male American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched on a wax palm in the forests near Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,530 meters, in October 2020, showing its blue-gray wings, rufous back and spotted underparts. It is the smallest and most common falcon in the Americas. It eats grasshoppers and other insects, lizards, mice and small birds across a wide range of open habitats. It nests in cavities in trees, cliffs and buildings, and the female lays three to seven eggs. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. The wax palm is Colombia’s national tree, and IUCN lists it as Vulnerable, while Colombia’s 2024 national list treats it as Endangered.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) belongs to the family Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List