Listing Status
- Federal Status: Not Listed
- FL Status: State-designated Threatened
- FNAI Ranks: G5T4/S3 (Globally: Demonstrably Secure, Subsp. Apparently Secure/State: Rare)
- IUCN Status: Subspecies Not Ranked
Appearance:
Female kestrel on nest (left); male kestrel (right).
The southeastern American kestrel is the smallest falcon in the United States, roughly comparable in size to a mourning dove. Adults measure about 9–12 inches from head to tail and have a wingspan of 20–24 inches. Both sexes have white faces with two bold black vertical stripes.
Males have bluish-gray wings and a rusty red back. Females have more heavily barred reddish-brown wings and backs.
Their call is a sharp, high-pitched “klee-klee-klee” or “killy-killy-killy,” often heard during flight.
Habitat:
Florida supports two subspecies of American kestrel (Falco sparverius). The northern subspecies (Falco sparverius sparverius) is migratory, wintering in Florida—typically arriving by September and departing by early April. The southeastern subspecies is non-migratory, meaning individuals stay in Florida year-round. Any kestrels observed in Florida from May through late July are almost certainly the resident, non-migratory southeastern American kestrel.
The southeastern American kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus) relies on open fire-maintained habitats such as longleaf pine sandhills, scrub, and pine savannas across Florida and portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. These habitats provide the open ground and scattered trees needed by the species for foraging and nesting.
Behavior:
The southeastern American kestrel typically hunts from elevated perches such as utility lines or dead trees along the edges of open habitats. From these vantage points, individuals scan for prey such as grasshoppers, lizards and small mammals. Once prey is spotted, the kestrel will leave the perch and, occasionally, hover in place before diving down to capture the prey with their talons.
Breeding occurs from March to June. southeastern American kestrels nest in tree cavities they do not excavate themselves, most often old woodpecker holes in standing dead pines called “snags.” While open pine habitats are preferred, kestrels may also nest and forage in pastures, fallow fields, and at the edges of developed areas if prey and tree cavities are present. Females lay 3–5 speckled eggs that hatch after about 30 days of incubation, and the young remain in the tree cavity for another month before fledging.
This subspecies has a relatively short lifespan. For those surviving their first winter, life span averages between 2.3 - 2.8 years. Survival rates are low, especially in the first year, due in part to predation and collisions with vehicles.
Threats
The southeastern American kestrel is currently listed as State-designated Threatened in Florida. The biggest threat to the southeastern American kestrel is the loss of open habitats where they nest and hunt. Regular prescribed fire is critical to maintaining the open habitat conditions that allow them to hunt effectively. When land is cleared for housing, farming, or replaced with pine plantations, kestrels lose both nesting and hunting grounds. Fire suppression also allows forests to become too dense, making it harder for kestrels to find food and nest cavities.
While habitat loss is the biggest known threat to the subspecies, scientists are working to determine if there are other potential threats contributing to the decline, such as pollution, pesticide use, or diseases like West Nile Virus.
Conservation and Management
The southeastern American kestrel is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule as a State-designated Threatened species.
How You Can Help
Nest boxes for kestrels can substitute for the natural nesting cavities that have been removed or lost. Since 2009, the FWC has coordinated a kestrel nest box program on public lands. Volunteers can help by monitoring these boxes in the Southwest and Northeast Regions. More information is available on the FWC’s volunteer program page.
Private landowners can also construct and install kestrel nest boxes on their property to help expand these efforts across the state. More information on design and installation of kestrel nest boxes is available on our website.
Sightings of southeastern American Kestrels during their breeding season from May 1-July 31 can also be shared with agency biologists by visiting the Rare Upland Birds Sightings App.
References
Beatty, M.A., K.E. Miller, and R.J. Fletcher. 2022. Snag density and stand age, but not stand size, explain occupancy and reproduction of an imperiled cavity nester in early successional forest. Avian Conservation and Ecology 17(2):36. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02261-170236
Deem, S.L., S.P. Terrell, and D.J. Forrester. 1998. A retrospective study of morbidity and mortality of raptors in Florida:1988–1994. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 29:160–164.
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2022. Falco sparverius paulus, Southeastern American Kestrel. Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. https://www.fnai.org/PDFs/FieldGuides/Falco_sparverius_paulus.pdf
Miller, K.E., R. Butryn, E. Leone, and J.A. Martin. 2019. Habitat preferences of nesting Southeastern American kestrels in Florida: The importance of ground cover. Southeastern Naturalist 18(2):192-201.
NatureServe. (2025). Falco sparverius paulus — Southeastern American Kestrel. NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved July 25, 2025, https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104862/Falco_sparverius_paulus
Ruegg, K.C., M. Brinkmeyer, C.M. Bossu, R.A. Bay, E.C. Anderson, C.W. Boal, R.D. Dawson, A. Eschenbauch, C.J.W. McClure, K.E. Miller, L. Morrow, J. Morrow, M.D. Oleyar, B. Ralph, S. Schulwitz, T. Swem, J. Therrien, R. Van Buskirk, T.B. Smith, and J.A. Heath. 2021. The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) genoscape: Implications for monitoring, management, and subspecies boundaries. Ornithology 138:1-14.
Smallwood, J.A., and D.M. Bird. 2002. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2022. North America’s smallest falcon. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-01/north-americas-smallest-falcon