Advice and the American Kestrel

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I was really busy.  That might happen sometimes because of school.

Advice

Sometimes, because of lighting, angle, or the posture of the bird, it can look very different from its picture in a in a field guide.  That is why I often show multiple photos of the same species.  It is also a good reason to buy a book with many illustrations.  Illustrations are better than photos because a photo is of one individual bird, while an illustration is an overall representation of the bird.  A field guide with many illustrations can show many different postures and phases of a bird.  My personal favorite American birds field guide is the Sibley guide by David Allen Sibley, but there are many other good ones out there, and not just for the United States (also, when looking for a field guide, range maps and good descriptions of the birds are very helpful).
Below is an example of how a different posture can make a bird almost appear as if it were a different species.  The photos are of a silhouetted Cooper's hawk; the first of it in a field guide pose, the second of it bent over and puffed up.

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Today and yesterday, I've seen American kestrels.  American kestrels are common falcons found throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  They are found in many open habitats where they hunt insects and small mammals.  They are the smallest and most colorful falcon in the United States, being only nine inches long from beak to tail tip.  Males have gray-blue on their crowns and wings, black and white faces, orange on their backs and tails, and black-spotted fawn-colored chests.  The females have dark and white faces, white chests with orange streaks, and orange and black backs and tails.  They can be told apart from other falcons in flight by their orange tails and very small size, and are overall more colorful than other falcons.  Their shape, however, is like other falcons, so if they are a distance away, it can be hard to tell them apart from the other small falcon, the merlin.  Below is a photo of a male American kestrel.

American Kestrel