Photos and Videos

Kestrels often reuse the same nest site every year, and their offspring can continue to use that same nest site down through the generations. Also, kestrels will use their nesting cavities as roosting sites outside of the breeding season. ​ "American Kestrels are secondary cavity nesters that nest in existing natural and man-made cavities. The species prefers nest sites that are surrounded by suitable hunting grounds and that have unobstructed entrances. In some areas, the lack of available nest cavities limits the number of breeding pairs... "The male often 'flutter-glides' and calls as he approaches the nest site when delivering prey. When he does, the female flies out of the nest cavity and “flutter-glides” with him. [See the video above of the white kestrel and her mate exhibiting this exact behavior, and turn your audio up loud to hear the male call to the female and to hear her respond to him right before she exits the cavity to flutter-glide with him]. "Pairs reuse nest sites particularly if they have successfully raised a brood there previously. Kestrels typically are monogamous and some pairs remain together across years. In sedentary populations, kestrels often remain at the nest site for the entire year. "Young kestrels depend on their parents for food for two to three weeks after they fledge. During this time, the young sometimes return to the nest cavity to roost... "Although kestrels are well-adapted to human-dominated environments, measures that decrease the amount of foraging habitat and the number of nest sites, such as changes in farming practices, loss of agricultural areas, and increased suburbanization and urbanization negatively impact them. American Kestrels suffer from competition with other species for nest sites as well." See https://www.hawkmountain.org/raptors/american-kestrel....