Four ounces of hunting prowess, the American Kestrel is the smallest North American falcon. The pictured bird is the less colorful, yet still beautiful, female. Many American Robins are larger than this 9-inch long raptor although the Kestrel weighs more. The Kestrel preys on insects, small rodents, and sometimes small birds. This image was taken August 25, 2014, at the Ridgefield NWR.
Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1600, f4.5, ISO 400, 500mm, 8:04 a.m.
A larger version of the shot is available at my Flickr site.
