Kestrels are distinctive-looking falcons with bright plumage. The male is more colorful than the female and the sexes can be distinguished by their coloring in the juvenile stage as well as in maturity. Most of the chest and back are dotted with black spots. The female is similarly marked as the male, but has more brown and less blue-gray. As is characteristic of raptors, the female kestrels are slightly larger than the males.
Kestrels are hunters, eating primarily insects, small mammals and birds.
Rarely, they will eat small snakes and lizards. Kestrels are monogamous and both the female and male help in raising the young. Breeding usually begins in April following courtship displays and nest selection. There are usually four or five eggs laid, which hatch after 29-30 days of incubation. The female incubates the eggs, but once the chicks hatch the male is primarily responsible for bringing food to the nest for the chicks.