Everett
Everett is a male American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).
Everett came to the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital in December 2007 from
Cat Tales in Spokane, Washington. A large python was traded for him.
He suffers from a slight shoulder injury, which prohibits him from flying
like a falcon should. The cause of his injury is unknown, and he is
non-releasable.
American Kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America and are the
second smallest falcons worldwide. In most species of raptors, the
male and female look alike in appearance. DNA testing may be required
to be sure of the sex of a particular raptor. With kestrels, color
dimorphism between males and females makes visual sex determination easy.
Male American Kestrels have spots on their chests and bellies, a bluish-gray
streak on the top of their wings, and a solid, black sub-terminal band on
the end of their tail. Females, on the other hand, have brown stripes
on their chests and bellies, completely brown wings (no blue streak), and
multiple brown bars on their tails, rather than just one.
All falcons have a few unique characteristics in common: malar stripes, a
falcon's "tooth", nasal tubercles and long pointed wings. Malar
stripes, or the “falcon’s mustacheâ€, are black stripes that run vertically
down the sides of a falcon’s face and provide protection from sun glare.
The same principle is used by football players by applying black paint below
their eyes.
A falcon's "tooth" is a small projection that all falcons have at the distal
part of their upper beaks. A notch to accommodate the falcon's "tooth"
is present in the lower beak. This "tooth" is used to help kill prey
quickly and efficiently. The falcon's tooth fits neatly between the
vertebrae of their prey and the bird clamps down to snap the neck of its
prey.
Falcons also have very long, pointed wings that help them dive at
breath-taking speeds. Their wings fold back sharply at the wrist and
when diving, they keep their wings tucked to their bodies to decrease air
resistance. American Kestrels are thought to reach diving speeds up to 50
or 60 MPH! The Peregrine Falcon is the world’s fastest animal and is
able to reach speeds over 200 MPH in a dive! Talk about fast!
American Kestrels are not a threatened species. They are very common
and can be found throughout the continental U.S., in to Canada and parts of
Mexico and Central America. They are cavity nesters and are associated
with forested and open grassland areas. They can be seen hunting from
telephone wires to take mice, voles, insects (especially grasshoppers),
small songbirds, and occasionally small snakes.
Kestrels are one of only a few birds that can actually hover in flight on a
windless day. Many other raptors such as hawks will hover the air on
thermals or other wind currents, but the kestrel can actually remain
stationary in flight with little air movement. Other birds known to
accomplish this feat are hummingbirds and kingfishers.
