[Birdtalk] Three American Kestrel attack postures

[John Morgan]

Seems it's always the other folks that get the great sightings, being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. My turn came yesterday. There seems to be a relationship between luck and taking the day off! Oddly, it was the American Kestrel that seemed to keep showing up on the radar.

While doing a construction project in a friend/neighbor's yard near 27th W and 90th S (West Jordan), I was lucky enough to look up and see a tightly folded American Kestrel (AK) streaking towards me. He passed barely 10 feet away at eye level. The target was several Starlings on a nearby fence and tree. They all saw him coming and seemed to randomly depart as if to say "Do we run from this little guy, or stay and fight?" The attack came up empty.

Later in the day while biking the Jordan Parkway from Gardner Village to 48th South, the cry of an irritated AK was heard near the water treatment plant. Looking up, I witnessed an AK making attacks on the dark form of a larger Buteo (probably Red-Tailed Hawk) on top of a power pole. Such boldness!

Further North, there's some sort of communications tower near the North end of the boardwark near 48th South. We (wife witnessed this too) were right near the base of this tower and heard the sound of a distressed Starling. For me, this was a lifer/first time witness--an American Kestrel had grabbed a Starling off the wire high above, and both were plunging to the ground in a totally uncontrolled death spiral. They were falling quite fast with very few controlling wingbeats. They disappeared into the vegetation/trees and shortly after what would have been the time of impact, a lone Starling came tearing out of the bushes from near ground level. I can't say whether this was the freed victim, or another nearby bird, but my guess is that in dealing with such large prey, the AK could not control the situation as they braced for impact.

This was very interesting to me and a first time ever type of sighting.

My question to the list is this: I've heard hawks suffocate victims with their feet. Obviously, a Starling is much too large for a Kestrel's feet to wrap around. So how does such a small Falcon take a nearly equally-sized bird? Is there a bite to the neck that usually follows? Is that what the Kestrel was trying to do in the death spiral? There was quite a tussle going on during the fall.

John
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