Hawk Mountain is helping to study and save the American Kestrel

Download nestbox building instructions HERE.

Adopt a Kestrel Nestbox (brochure) 
A kestrel box adoption makes a great gift!

Life History Accounts &
Conservation Status Reports
Click here to read a Life History Account and a Conservation Status Report on the American Kestrel or any of the 16 species of raptors that pass Hawk Mountain

Photo of perched kestrel at right by Shawn Carey, Migration Productions

Once plentiful across the Pennsylvania countryside, the American Kestrel is now in decline throughout the Northeast. Throughout much of the United States, Kestrels live in open habitat, such as meadows and farmlands, where they feed upon insects, lizards, mice and small birds. American Kestrels frequently hunt from roadside utility lines, as well as by hovering almost motionless while flying into the wind.

Many Kestrels migrate hundreds of miles between breeding sites in Pennsylvania and wintering grounds in the southern United States each year. Others stay in the same area year-round.

American Kestrels do not build nests, but use a cavity or snag found in a dead tree. The practice of removing dead trees limits nest sites for the bird. Placing nestboxes in open habitat or farmland is a proven method to boost Kestrel numbers. By providing artificial nestboxes, Pennsylvania landowners in rural and agricultural communities can play an important role in the future of this small falcon.  Photo of kestrel in flight by Jeff Schmoyer

Adopt a Kestrel Nestbox

As part of long-term reserach, Hawk Mountain has been studying the wintering, breeding and migratory habits of American Kestrles for more than 50 years. More than 200 kestrel nestboxes have been placed within a 25-mile radius of Hawk Mountain. Each year, boxes are cleaned and monitored for signs of nesting activity. When nestlings are about two weeks old, they are sexed, banded and counted as a measure of nesting success. This information is then shared with kestrel biologists in Canada and elsewhere in the United States. From this data, we now know that breeding pairs have plummeted 50 percent between 1998 and 2004.

YOU can be an important partner in this field research. Hawk Mountain invites you or your organization to adopt one or more kestrel nestboxes for a donation of $100.

Donations are used to rebuild old boxes, purchase radio telemetry and other equipment, and cover cost of traveling to and from the boxes. For more information or to download a donation form, please click here OR call us:

Contact Tammy Jandrasitz: 610-756-6000 x224 or email jandrasitz@hawkmountain.org.

Hawk Mountain’s Nestbox Program for Pennsylvania Landowners

With an increasing number of Pennsylvania’s wildlife living on privately owned property, landowners have become important conservation partners. The American Kestrel, for example, depends on owners of farms, fields and meadows for its food, water and shelter.

Conserving Kestrels through a nestbox program is one way to help conservation while seeing an immediate benefit. That’s why Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is asking landowners, farmers, or FFA and 4-H groups to help conserve the American Kestrel by building and erecting artificial nestboxes. A series of boxes can reduce insect and other pest populations, and yield greater crop growth.

Click here to download a FREE copy of the nestbox brochure with building instructions.

Booklet:  American Kestrel Nestlings
Hawk Mountain volunteer and Alvernia College assistant professor of biology, James Klucsarits, has published a booklet which chronicles the development of all stages of American Kestrel nestling development.  Jim may be contacted directly by those wishing to purchase a booklet at  jim.klucsarits@alvernia.edu or via phone at 610-944-8766.

Video: American Kestrel: Finding a Home
This video is an educational resource from Pennsylvania's Wild Resource Conservation Fund made in cooperation with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. It includes information on kestrel natural history, footage from inside an active nestbox, and information on how and where to place a nestbox of your own. For more information, or to purchase a copy, visit the Wild Resource Conservation Fund website by clicking here, or write:

The Wild Resource Conservation Fund
PO Box 8764
Harrisburg, PA  17105-8764