20210728-American Kestrel-1

We received a call to the rescue line from a homeowner who found a kestrel on their property in Bryant, IN. They were coming to Decatur, IN and were hoping we could meet them there. I met them and found a female American Kestrel in a crate. She was alert but lying down vs. standing up. I could see no apparent injuries but her tail feathers looked rather “rough”. The wings appeared ok as did her feet and talons. She expressed her displeasure in my examination by screaming! The homeowner found this little gal on Sunday the 25th in their driveway. They have cats so they quickly scooped her up into a bucket and inspected her and as she seemed ok, they took her back to the tree line to release her to the pines. On Monday the 26th she was found by the garden and when approached, flew at ground level to their camper and went underneath. By Tuesday evening she was now back at the house and she didn’t run or attempt to fly but just squatted so they brought her in and contacted us on Wednesday morning. It is possible that one of the cats had “batted” her around a bit but they never saw her in the cat’s mouth. Upon admission she was given pain meds and was hand fed. We are hoping that she can make a full recovery!  08/02/21 No obvious injuries so unsure of this birds issue. It took a while but it has started eating on its own. She has been moved to an outside enclosure with another kestrel. This is a young bird who may just need some training