Added: 3 years ago
From: rtperch
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  • He's so pretty!

  • how can i buy this bird,where can i buy them . and what do i need for get them, i am living in US , california, , or can u email me, minhtrung_0106@yahoo.com

  • Such a beautiful bird.

  • Do you get to keep the bird?

  • I had one of these, the most amazing experience of my life. I want to continue falconry but it will have to wait while I am in the city :(

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  • @ifaoduistheway Your profile says you're in the US but not what state. I'm guessing Pennsylvania? If so, American kestrels are readily accessible to you if you have a US federal falconry permit. The "Pennsylvania Falconry and Hawk Trust" (do a Google search) has that state's falconry regulations on their website andcan give you assistance.

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  • @rtperch Thank U For UR Info,,,!!!

  • @ifaoduistheway

    Not to be redundant but you can get a permit to "own" one. =) But they aren't pets and you can only have them for rehabilitation and falconry. Meaning you use them to hunt or train them to hunt for themselves while providing a safe habitat for them. But they can't be domesticated like a parakeet.

  • @flauterfli thank you for your answer."MY COMMENT IS OLD"ive been reading alot about them,,i know they are wild,thats the reason i love them,my brother just got his permit and has a Red Tail Hawk,they take long time but worth it,you have to have the time for these birds,and not only time,the space and the money $,anyway in your comment looks like you know a little bit about them,thank you again.BLESSINGS :)

  • @flauterfli Now!!, My favorite Bird of Prey is the Harris Hawk :D

  • WOW!!! Great response time... and just off the trap, they are quick little learners... and you say you use crickets? Will have to try that. I am teaching one at our rehab center, he was deemed unreleasable due to him being soooo friendly with humans, he sits unjessed on my glove. I am going to jess him and see if he will start flying to me for tid bits...

  • @dirtbikecaboose The kestrel is probably releasable unless it was imprinted. 1st year kestrels can tame down pretty quick and be comfortable using people as perches--no glove required. But they'll go wild to in a few weeks of being fed with no human-food association--provided they are not imprinted. Unless you intend to keep the kestrel as a rehab/education animal,I wouldn't train it with crickets as that will just set it further back from being released--and migration season is coming fast.

  • @rtperch Unfortunately my boss wants me to train him as an educational bird and The department of fish and game already gave the go ahead for us. So it is cool I will be able to train this awesome brd but at the same time sad I cannot release him. But I am already compramising with my boss and asking if I can train him to hunt and if so maybe release him if he is successful

  • Awesome info! We have swarms of chipmunks, moles, and mice already in the yard so whatever it is, they are well fed for sure. I just hope they don't go for my baby robins -.-

  • i have a nest in my backyard we thought it was red tail but its a teeny kestrel

  • @MPSecare American kestrels are cavity nesters, typically nesting in tree holes, gaps or ledges in buildings, nest boxes, or cliffs or rock faces. If you're seeing a nest in the branches of a tree in your back yard, it's most likely not an American kestrel. It could be any number of other small raptors. Whatever it is, enjoy it! You can also help the parents out by going to a pet store, buying a white mouse, and leaving it out in the open on a card table where the parents can grab it. Free food!

  • it's an amazing bird, had a chance to see one in the nature really close, pure beauty to see such an animal

  • @Kubatko I think the American kestrel is probably the prettiest bird of prey in North America. They're---dare I say it?---damn cute little buggers. :)

  • it's like little Ninja!

  • I used to molt mine in the winter and hunt them in the spring and summer, that way they took plenty of juvenile sparrows and starlings, build up their aerial skills. Also great if you work during the day, more time in the evening to hunt them. of course, I kept them inside for perfect weight control. Cheers

  • How many hours a day do you have to spend training American Kestrels? I want to start falconry but I have school taking 6 hours of every day except weekends(Im 13).

  • I wouldn't be worried about the Kestrel yet. In Falconry, starting it is the hardest thing. You have to buy all the equipment, pass a test, and find a good sponsor. I wouldn't start with a American Kestrel because they're so easy to kill, try to get a Red-tailed Hawk for your first bird. But Falconry atleast takes training your bird one or two hours a day, for every day, intill it's well train.

  • @TheFalconryFan As an experienced falconer I would say location and quarry availability should determine your choice of hawk. Whats the use of having a Red-Tail if you can only do it on weekends, and then only if you drive hours. Kestrels can be hunted anywhere. I lived in NYC and had Kestrels and sharpies

  • @americansharpy, not to mention hunting with a Red-tail only last to September to March in Michigan, with a Kestrel you can hunt anytime you want. And I really want a Kestrel mainly because they're so many small birds around my house, most of them won't shut up and annoy my Red-tail, having a Kestrel around is perfect.

  • @TheFalconryFan Correct, Starlings and House Sparrows are not protected birds, can be hunted pretty much all year around and are plentiful. Kestrels action occurs within 1-30 yds (normally) of you so you're always in the middle of the action. I tried various methods, one of my favorites was using a poncho to walk around and surprising the birds.

  • When I become a General I'm getting one to mess around with it.

  • You'll want to make or buy several sparrow/starling traps. The secret to having any success with a kestrel is to bag, bag, bag, bag on the game you want them to hunt.

  • I've bought tons of books right now. Thanks for the advice.

  • hEy How cAn yOU fInd A Common Kestrel? whEre DID yOU tRAP thEm oR whEre dId yOU bUy tHEm? cAn yOU tELL mE pleAse

  • than how did u train it when it was still big beacause i found an baby owl out side that could fly but it got tangle up and every time i try to train it it would try to bite me or try to grab me with its claws so how do i train it

  • If you find a baby owl or any other raptor, you should take it to a zoo or contact your state's wildlife agency so it gets to someone who can properly rehab it. It is illegal (federal offense with fines and jail time) to have a raptor without a permit. Also, by trying to hand raise a baby raptor, it will probably imprint on humans instead of owls. Get that bird to a rehabber if you haven't already before you kill it or screw it up for life.

  • did u get it when it was a baby

  • No, it was full grown and out hunting on its own when it was trapped in the wild. You can tell it wasn't pulled from the nest as a baby because it's not screaming its head off begging for food. :)

  • Wow, that bird is so small! I didn't realize kestrels were that tiny.

    They sound really hard to take care of, though. I can see why you'd need licenses just to handle one ...

  • wow wonderful. i am falconer myself and thats fast response^^ but isnt it a bit narrow/tiny in there^^ (okay the bird is tiny itself x D)

  • where can i buy one

  • yeah u cant

  • please don't unless you are a professional falconer.

  • Just nick some eggs like Casper did in the film 'Kes'.

  • That's some seriously bad advice. Raid a kestrel nest in the US and it's a federal offense (jail time and fines). It's also illegal to "nick" kestrel eggs in the UK.

  • So how do you get one. So the Brit film, Kes, was sending out the wrong message?

  • Well, seeing as the main character steals.... :)

    If you're in the UK, you can buy one, but it is illegal to take one from the wild. (Naturally, a lot of people who don't know what they're doing buy birds and then end up killing them by accident.)

    In the US, you have to get a federal falconry permit to get one, while undergoing a 2-year apprenticeship, but you are able to trap a wild bird. (It's a ton of hoops to jump through, but results in a very low bird mortality.)

  • Thanks for the excellent info. I think I'll just watch the experts and stick to the usual animals to train like dogs :)

  • So it's legal to catch a wild animal and make it a pet?

  • Absolutely. It obviously depends on the animal, but for the vast majority this is the case and especially for birds (except pigeons and crows I believe).

  • there are strict laws involved. you can't just go trap a bird legally.

  • Check out the federal Migratory Bird Act. If the bird is migratory, capturing one is a federal offense unless it is an injured bird and reported to the Department of Agriculture and turned over to a proper rehabber.

  • illegal.

  • nearly... but not so with federal and state licenses - check your facts... open your mind a tick.

  • scratch that... I hadn't seen your other comments, DanceSwan... sorry for the cheeky reply

  • Not even remotely. The art of entry level Falconry relies upon training, then hunting, and then when the season is over, RELEASING the bird. One can only hope that the "training" portion of the season will impart additional hunting knowledge onto the bird, but these are FAR from "pets". Also, they are FEDERALLY protected and strict FEDERAL guidlines must be followed for their capture, and care. Also, you MUST have a viable sponsor to even get a permit to trap one.

  • If I lived in an area with close enough hunting grounds, a vet and a falconer willing to apprentice me I'd go for it. Lord knows Im good with animals.

    I'd go for the falcons. I'd be more comfortable hunting smaller game and birds than helping a red tail dispatch squirrels and rabbits with my hands. Americans have to start with either a kestrel or a red tail hawk.

    Also can't see myself trying to keep up with a red in the woods with my knees. Can barely jog across level ground as it is.

  • You should try to become one! Falconry is becoming extinct in america, and is in need of more people.

  • haha he's like that's it i want more!

  • was that kestrel caught in a trap then you trained it.

  • It says so in the discription.

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