2005 Rescue & Release

"Beau Oiseau" (French for "Beautiful Bird")

Released July 3, 2005

This America Kestrel was a chick who fell out of his nest and was unnecessarily “saved” in DeSoto County. Beau's parents were nearby, but a well-meaning person thought he had been abandoned and brought him to a local veterinarian. He was cared for at MWR until he was old enough to hunt for his own food. Parents of baby birds will continue to feed their young, even out of their nest, if they are left alone where they fell or put up in the tree. The American Kestrel is the smallest and most colorful falcon, 9-12 inches in length with a wingsan of 21-23 inches. They have a unique facial pattern that features two black stripes called eye beards. In the countryside, kestrels prey on insects, small birds, reptiles and rodents. Habitat destruction and loss of nest-cavity trees are possible factors leading to the decline in the breeding population that has earned the Kestrel a classification of threatened.