BO
Species: Falco sparverius, American Kestrel • Born: 2005 • Gender: Male • Disability: Human Imprint
Bo is a male American kestrel who was injured and orphaned at a young age when his nest was attacked by predators. Upon receiving human care he became ‘human imprinted’ and could not be released into the wild. He now looks to people for food. Bo is quite the showstopper with his vibrant coloring—he often visits schools where he delights his audience with his sweet personality.
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
The American Kestrel, or Sparrow Hawk as it is sometimes called, is the smallest Falcon in the United States. The females are slightly larger with reddish-brown wings. The males have bluish-gray wings.
The black marks under Kestrel’s eyes are called ‘mustache marks.’ They work like the black paint athletes use under their eyes to block the reflective glare of the sun.
They eat small birds, insects, mice and other tiny creatures. They perch over fielded areas, wait for their prey, begin to hover over their meal, and then fly down to catch it. The Kestrel has the unique ability to see ultraviolet light. Since mice have weak bladders—and since urine reflects ultraviolet light—the mice practically leave Kestrels a road map straight to their next meal!
They are incredibly fast birds and have been known to dive at speeds of 60 -100 mph.