American Kestrel

La historia

I photographed this American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched on a wax palm in the forests near Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, at about 2,530 meters, in octubre de 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.

El ave

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) pertenece a la familia Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) en la taxonomía eBird/Clements.

Fuente: eBird.org (se abre en una pestaña nueva)

Conservación

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Fuente: Lista Roja de la UICN