Jethro II
American Kestrel
History
Jethro is a male Kestrel. Kestrels are unique among raptors in that there is sexual dimorphism: by looking at them you can tell the difference between the males and females. Kestrels are also some of the most colorful raptors. The tails of the males have one black stripe on the end; the females have black stripes all the way up their tail. Males also have a slate-blue head and wings and a rusty-red back and tail. Females are rusty-red on their wings, back and tail.
Jethro was found in Bluffton, Indiana in the fall of 2011 with a wing injury. The skin was torn off the the tip of his wing due to unknown trauma. The skin healed, but the long feathers on the end of the wing that are needed for flying never regrew. He was a welome addition to our education birds in the spring of 2012.