The male kestrel arrives to take over incubation duties from the female. Note the marked sexual dimorphism in this pair. Male American Kestrels have blue-gray wings, a mostly unbarred tail except for a black subterminal band and white to rufous tip, and pale buff to pinkish or orange underparts. Females have rufous wings barred with black, a rufous tail with black bands, and creamy to buff underparts that are heavily streaked with brown. Watch the cams live at www.allaboutbirds.org/cams
The American Kestrel cam is a collaboration between the Cornell Lab or Ornithology and the Raptor Resource Project.
American Kestrels are just beginning to nest in a gravel-bottomed nest on private property near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The nest box is located on the side of a traditional limestone-footed barn, overlooking a rolling grassland that slopes away into folded hills and forests. Our partners at the Raptor Resource Project have watched kestrels breed at this site for over 25 years, and the wonderful combination of grassland, forest, and water that surrounds the property is an excellent example of the habitat that kestrels need to survive and thrive. Watch cam.
Don't miss the outside view! A second camera has been installed to give views of the nest box opening from the outside so viewers can observe the kestrels' comings and goings, as well as the nestlings once they begin peering outside. To toggle between the two camera views, click the "switch camera" icon in the lower right of the livestream player, next to the settings wheel.
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