NSIS: Florida's Common Land Birds

The American Kestrel, also known inappropriately as the Sparrow Hawk and Killy Hawk, is a cavity nester, often using abandoned woodpecker holes in pines. It doesn't use feeders but may use a nest box.

One Kestrel subspecies is a permanent resident of Florida, another winters here. The former is threatened by habitat loss.

Other members of this family include the less common Merlin (aka Pigeon Hawk) and the endangered Peregrine Falcon (aka Duck Hawk). Both are found statewide, more often along the coasts. Neither breed in Florida.

The Arctic Peregrine Falcon is threatened primarily by habitat loss, particularly coastal wetlands. Pesticide contamination of their prey is also a factor.

The threatened Crested Caracara is found year round in native prairies north and west of Lake Okeechobee.

name	area	season	diet/native food plants
American Kestrel THREATENED	N CS	SpSuFW-B SpFW	insects*, reptiles, small mammals
N=north C=central S=south Sp=spring Su=summer F=fall W=winter B=breeds in Florida during season(s) underlined M=Migrant

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