Our Family
Badger
 Sherman (not on display)
 Prairie (not on display)
Bald Eagle
 Hal
 Izumi
 Sarah
Barn Owl
 Silo
 Barney (a.k.a. Moonface)
Black Bear
 Kootenay
Black Rat Snake
 Kingston
 Licorice
Blanding's Turtle
 Oliver
Bobcat
 Rufus
Box Turtle
 Murtle
Bull Frog
 Fergus
Cottontail Rabbit
 Peter
Cougar
 Kokanee
Coyote
 Wylie (not on display)
 Sancho (not on display)
Fisher
 Forrest
Flying Squirrel
 Pixie
Great Horned Owl
 Bubo (not on display)
 Dr. Hoo (not on display)
Green Frog
 Kermy
Groundhog/Woodchuck
 Clover
Kestrel
 Punk
Lynx
 Yeti
Mink
 Marsha
Moose
 Zeus
 Chocolate
Opossum
 Virginia
Painted Turtle
 Willamina
Peregrine Falcon
 Cliff (not on display)
 Tundra (not on display)
Porcupine
 Quillber (not on display)
Raccoon
 Dawn
Red Fox
 Rusty
Red-sided Garter Snake
 Squeezer
Red-tailed Hawk
 Will (not on display)
Silver Fox
 Frosty
Snapping Turtle
 Sam
Striped Skunk
 Flower
 Oreo
Toad
 Wart
Tree Frog
 Twiggy
 Leaf
Turkey Vulture
 Mortisha (Not on Display)
 Barfalomew (not on display)
Wolf
 Montana
 Akayla
 Nikita
Wolverine
 Hyde
 Gulo


Punk the Kestrel

Born:
Sex:

Punk was acquired Punk was found as a baby bird by a family and was mistakenly taken in and hand raised. The family thought she was wounded but she was in fact a healthy baby bird, just learning to fly.  That kind of human imprinting made Punk un-releasable, as she was never taught how to hunt for herself. She was donated to our centre by a rehabilitation centre and is now a wonderful addition to our education team.  She helps us teach the appropriate steps to take when an orphaned animal is found.

 

Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Average Size:
23-30 centimetres (9-12 inches)
Average Weight:
Average Lifespan:
Average 1.5 years in the wild Up to 5 years in captivity
Range:
Everywhere in Ontario, except the Arctic.
 

Dining and Dwelling

Throughout the year this colorful little falcon feeds on a diet of voles, mice and shrews. In summer it also feeds largely on grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and other large insects. They may also take a few small birds and the odd snake, frog, lizard, bat or earthworm.  The habitat of the kestrel is mostly open country, farmland and wood edges.  They can most often be seen perched on power lines overlooking farm fields, waiting for a meal.

Life and Death


The kestrel (formerly known as the sparrow hawk) is known to be the most visible bird of prey on the continent.  Many people drive by several a day mistaking them for the similar sized mourning dove.  They nest in eaves of barns, silos, woodpecker holes and are not opposed to human-made bird nesting boxes.  They may lay between 3 and 7 eggs in one clutch.

Their natural predators include raccoons and snakes, which destroy nests and eat the young.  Death also occurs when they are hit by automobiles, shot, collide with windows, eat poisoned mice and suffer from effects of pesticides in the food chain.

 


That's Amazing

  • The kestrel in the tiniest falcon in all of North America.
  • Like a humming bird, these tiny birds of prey can hover in one spot when in flight.