BY: Marvin Bouknight The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), also called a tilley hawk or sparrow hawk, is our smallest falcon, and is roughly the size of an American Robin.  Don’t let the small size fool you, however.  These little falcons are extremely fast, maneuverable, and voracious predators.  They mainly feed on insects and small mammals, but they will also take birds such as sparrows, finches, and other small songbirds.  An interesting note is that the brilliantly colored birds are sexually dimorphic, which is a fancy way of saying the male and female look different.  The female has a boldly patterned head, rusty red streaked chest, with a barred and rusty back, wings, and tail.  The male has a rusty, barred back, but the wings are bluish gray, the tail is unbarred, rusty red, tipped in black, a boldly patterned, more colorful head, with a rusty red spot on the very top, and a tawny, buff colored chest with noticeable dark spots.  Look for these beautiful little falcons in open grasslands, pastures, etc. with solitary trees in which they will perch and search for prey. American Kestrel OFFB