What habitats do they prefer?
They need open ground for hunting, so they can live in mountain meadows, areas in early succession, marshlands, grasslands, savannas, deserts, open pine forests, mixed woods/grasslands, agricultural lands, vacant building sites in cities, airfields, athletic fields, cemeteries, powerline corridors, lake shores, and sea-coasts (Cade, 1982). American kestrels are cavity nesters, so they need either trees or artificial cavities. American kestrels are one of several species of raptors that has possibly benefited from deforestation for agriculture in North America because it makes their prey easier to find, and they have learned to thrive in a human dominated landscape.
