Hawk Ridge: Minnesota's Birds of Prey

Falcons

• 69 • L ong, narrow, pointed wings and a fairly long, narrow tail uniquely adapt falcons for speed. Ornithologists traditionally placed all the raptors (except, for a time, vultures) in a single order, the Falconiformes. But recent DNA studies have conclusively determined that falcons are not related to the others. Some may find it surprising that falcons are genetically much more closely allied with parrots and songbirds than with hawks. In 2010 the American Ornithologists’ Union created a whole new order, the Accipitriformes, in which they placed all the nonfalcon hawks. During their first year, falcons of most species can be distinguished from adults. One species, the American Kestrel, shows strong sexual dimorphism; males are much more boldly patterned and brightly colored than females. Hawk Ridge’s two tiniest falcons, the American Kestrel and Merlin, are often seen capturing dragonflies as they cruise past the main overlook. They don’t bother to find a perch to eat such tiny prey—they simply pull their talons up and put their head down momentarily, nibbling away as they continue on. Ideal days for seeing both species often coincide with major dragonfly flights. Peregrine Falcons were once exceptionally rare at Hawk Ridge, though they were still seen yearly even after the species had been extirpated from most of North America; the peregrines flying over Hawk Ridge were migrating from tundra breeding grounds. Thanks to Peregrine Falcon reintroduction projects, the species is now much more common, with some seasonal totals exceeding a hundred. In 1996, the Minnesota status of the peregrine was changed from endangered to threatened . In 1999, the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the federal endangered species list. Two extremely rare falcons have been reported from Hawk Ridge. Gyrfalcons, from the far North, have been seen eleven times since 1981; Prairie Falcons, eight times since 1979. Falcons (Order Falconiformes, Family Falconidae) American Kestrel 70 • falcons American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) When someone calls out “kestrel!” at Hawk Ridge, everyone’s binoculars gravitate to the bird as if it were a rare species. American Kestrels are one of the common migrants at Hawk Ridge, but regardless of how many pass through on a good day, their lovely colors and dainty flight make them guaranteed crowd pleasers. And hawk watchers can’t help but smile to see one of these exquisite birds snatch a dragonfly out of the sky. The bird flies along with its tiny prey in its talons, every now and then drawing its legs forward and thrusting its head down to grab a bite. Huge swarms of dragonflies moving along the Lake Superior shoreline in August and September are a vivid reminder that birds are not the only migratory animals. The common green darner is the most well-known dragonfly that passes along Hawk Ridge in advance of cold fronts in August and September, and we humans are not the only ones who take notice. From the time Hawk Ridge started attracting birdwatchers, people have been noticing kestrels munching on dragonflies. In 1995, official counter and Hawk Ridge bird bander Frank Nicoletti began a study carefully counting dragonflies as well as raptors passing by. He found that American Kestrel migration peak days coincide with peak days for green darner migration. Closely studying their habits, Nicoletti found that at midday, when migration conditions are ideal, kestrels don’t eat many falcons • 71 dragonflies; they are focused on migrating, flying higher in the sky than they do later in the afternoon. But when they come lower, Nicoletti noticed, a large number of them feed on dragonflies as they move along. The word kestrel is probably derived from the French word for a leper’s “clicket,” a clapper once used to warn people of a passing leper; the name was originally given to the European Kestrel for its noisy call. Whether in Europe or America, kestrels attract our notice. “The prettiest and jauntiest of our hawks, and yet no prig,” is how ornithologist Elliott Coues described them in 1874. Naturalist William Brewster, in 1925, called it “most light-hearted and frolicsome.” Outside of migration, we see them along roads and highways , perched on wires or snags, or hunting over farm fields, pastures, and other open habitats, often hovering in place for many seconds at a time. This dainty predator feeds primarily on insects whenever they’re available. Kestrels also feed on many small rodents and songbirds, especially in winter. When perched on wires in...