Most of the time I see American Kestrels on wires while driving. Well, while someone else is driving. These small falcons hunt from high perches which make the wires very useful to them. They also hover over fields to search for their prey. They eat large insects and small mammals, birds and reptiles. I have noticed them eating insects and once trying to catch a bird.
American Kestrel
We were birding along the road in Northwest Ohio and we spotted the American Kestrel perched on a wire. After my Mom pulled over I got a picture before it flew. According to the Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman this species is declining in the Northeast but elsewhere the populations are still healthy.
