Female American Kestrels (Male vs Female Identification)

There are 13 species of kestrels in the genus Falcon, but only one species lives in the Americas—the American kestrel (kestrel), divided into 17 subspecies, ranging from Canada and Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

These colorful raptors are the smallest of North America’s falcons and come in many varieties across their range. For example, some subspecies weigh as much as a blue jay, while others weigh as much as a dove or mourning dove! Here’s a guide to female American kestrels.

Male and female kestrels are relatively easy to tell apart, as male kestrels are much more colorful than females. The male’s head, wings, and tail feathers are blue-gray, and the back has chestnut-brown feathers, while the female’s feathers are mainly brown.

Additionally, adult females have a black stripe on their tail, while adult males have a brown and gray tail with a black stripe at the base of the tail.

Like other raptors, female American kestrels are larger than males (by about 10% to 15%), but the difference is not as large as in other raptors (for example, some female raptors are 25% larger than males).

There’s still so much to learn about these fantastic birds of prey – read on to find out!

Closeup of a female American Kestrel perched on a pole

How do you know if the American Kestrel is male or female?

The easiest way to tell male and female American kestrels apart is that the females are predominantly brown, while the males are chestnut brown with more slate blue on the wings. Both males and females share a slate-blue head.

The male Ameri can Kestrel is an attractive and colorful falcon with stone blue wings and head, vertical cheek stripes, chestnut brown plumage on the back, light chestnut brown chest and belly, and a brown tail with black and white stripes according to .

The most notable difference is that the female lacks most of the male’s slate-blue wings, nor the contrasting gray and maroon back feathers. Instead, she’s mostly brown, though her head is still a slate blue.

Females have lighter breasts, udders, and bellies than males. As with raptors, she’s still very colorful, but doesn’t exactly match the colorful and contrasting males. However, despite his more ornate plumage, the male is smaller than the female, although this is only noticed when they are side by side.

Male American Kestrel

female american kestrel

What does a female American Kestrel look like?

Female American kestrels are predominantly brown except for a slate blue head and black cheek stripes. Most American kestrels are about the size of a jay, measuring 9 inches (19 centimeters) long with a wingspan of about 22 inches (55 centimeters).

Their wings and back are an attractive chestnut brown with dark brown or black stripes. The tail is similar; it is light brown with dark brown/black sides and dark brown stripes across the width.

The breast of the female is light beige brown with fine stripes. She has two dark facial stripes like the male.

female american kestrel

Are female American kestrels bigger than males?

Like most birds of prey, female American kestrels are larger than males. In their case, however, the size difference is about 10 to 15 percent, which is lower than in many other raptors, with females being 25 percent larger.

Males typically weigh 80 to 143 grams (2.8 to 5.0 ounces) and females 86 to 165 grams (3.0 to 5.8 ounces). As we can see, the differences are very small and hard to spot unless the birds are right next to each other.

Male (left) and female (right) American kestrels perched together on a wire

behavioral difference

hunting and feeding

One explanation for the size difference between male and female raptors is that this allows them to catch different prey, thereby increasing the diversity in their diet when feeding chicks.

In the study, female American kestrels typically caught larger prey than males. Males are more likely to hunt birds than females.

Perched female American Kestrel looking for prey

breeding

Males typically establish territories and advertise them to females with dive bombs and quick flight displays.For example, they repeatedly climb and dive at high speed, issuing short sequences Clear! Telephone.

American kestrels engage in so-called courtship feeding, in which the male feeds for up to a month before and after the female lays her eggs. Once paired, the birds stay together for years or life.

When it’s time to build a nest, the male inspects the nesting sites and brings the female to one of them. Females dig burrows, lay eggs, and hatch young. Females usually hatch more than males, but this does vary.

The male feeds the female while it hatches. Young birds are primarily fed by females (in one study, females made up 70 percent of feeding trips).

Female American Kestrel in flight

migrant

Males tend to migrate earlier and return to breeding grounds earlier than females. They have also been found overwintering further north.

vocalize

There is little information on sex differences between vocalizations in American kestrels. During the breeding season, females emit a high-pitched purr, but otherwise, American kestrels have very limited calls.

Male American Kestrel in flight – wing color is one of the easiest ways to tell the difference between the sexes

Can a female American kestrel raise her young alone?

Female American kestrels perform most of the actions and responsibilities required to raise chicks, such as digging nests, incubating eggs, and feeding chicks. A female is still less likely to raise her child alone because she may have difficulty providing enough food.

However, the males do help in almost every process, and it is highly unlikely that the females will be able to catch enough prey while hatching the chicks. Additionally, the male will feed the female before laying eggs, and sometimes throughout the incubation period.

Additionally, these birds are monogamous, forming strong, long-lasting pair bonds. Keeping chicks is dangerous for most birds of prey, which rely on a strong partnership between male and female.

Female American Kestrel ready for takeoff

Do female American kestrels call?

The American kestrel has a small range of calls, including Clay, complain, and chatter, with some changes. A loud and exciting series 3 to 6 Clear! or kill-e! is one of the most common calls.

Females have the same core call as males, but seem to emit a specific whine during breeding season.

What color is a female American Kestrel?

Female American kestrels are predominantly brown except for a stone-blue head similar to the males. Their undersides are light brown, while their tails and wings are chestnut brown with darker stripes. Additionally, they have black stripes on the cheek portion of their head.