Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

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Abundance: Uncommon during summer; Fairly Common during spring and fall; and Common during winter; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts indicate that the population breeding in the Region is probably decreasing, especially in the Tennessee portion of the Region, while the wintering and migratory populations are probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; photograph [ventral view  of male perched] (Stephen J. Stedman; Goff Ridge Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee; 7 January 2012); photograph [ventral view of female perched] (Stephen J. Stedman; Shipley Farm, Putnam County, Tennessee; 18 February 2012); photograph [dorsal view of female perched] (Stephen J. Stedman; Shipley Farm, Putnam County, Tennessee; 18 February 2012).

Regional High Count and CBC/CBB High Count: 118 (21 December 2004; White County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 57 (30 September 2006; Macon County, Tennessee [FBB]; m. obl.); SBC/SBB High Count: 25 (13 May 2000; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).  Breeding success definitely tied to availability of suitable nesting sites (i.e., large cavities in trees or suitable substitutes); breeding can be assisted by placement of nest boxes in dead trees and on similar structures.

Habitat: Open habitats with a plenitude of perches suitable for ambush attacks tend to be most used by this small raptor; it is also able to hunt while hovering over such habitats at a height of c. 20 m.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 21 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 61 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to YardWatch frequency classifications of Uncommon and Fairly Common, respectively; given the changing abundance of this small raptor over the course of the year, it is difficult to judge how much correlation there is between these YardWatch frequency classifications and the overall Regional abundance classification; suffice it to say that the kestrel is fairly well represented in Regional yards and neighborhoods, particularly those in rural settings.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: The Regional High Count (118 [above]) was achieved during a Christmas Bird Count conducted in and around Sparta, White County, Tennessee; this total is also the highest ever accumulated on a CBC conducted in Tennessee (LINK to High Counts for CBCs Conducted in Tennessee).

   The Regional population of kestrels is greatest during winter and fewest during summer; Regional CBC data are reflective of the population level during the former season (LINK to Data for AMKEs on Christmas Bird Counts in the UCR); the population is probably fairly stable during winter. However, data from the Winter Roadside Survey in Putnam County, Tennessee, reveal a fairly steep decrease in kestrel numbers from 1991, when 55 kestrels were counted during 500 stops of 4 minutes each, to 2011, when 16 kestrels were counted at the same 500 stops.

   Most winter resident kestrels depart northward from Tennessee by mid-April, and most breeding residents have begun the nesting cycle by that time; thus, most kestrels counted on Spring Bird Counts and other spring bird-counting events are breeding residents. Data from the spring bird-counting events (LINK to Data for AMKEs on Spring Bird Counts in the UCR) do not reveal a clear trend for this small raptor but at least suggest a slight negative trend. Data from the Summer Roadside Survey in Putnam County are more clear and indicate a probably significant negative trend in that county (numbers of kestrels counted during brief [4-min] counts at 500 sites fell from 33 in 1991 to 21 in 1996 to 19 in 2001 to 8 in 2006).

   The sex ratio of kestrels wintering in Tennessee, including many counties of the Region, was studied by Stedman (1989); males comprised 56% of the population during the study.

   Kestrels engage in a hunting behavior known as hovering, which allows them to access open habitats lacking perches for ambush attacks; usually they hover at c. 20 m, even in windless conditions, such is their wing-loading. They are apparently able to see in the ultra-violet, allowing them to detect the urination spots of small mammals and increasing their chances of a successful capture.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited