- Species - American kestrel
- Scientific name - Falco sparverius
- Hatch year - 2014
- Sex - male
- Weight - 100 g
- Location of origin - Tennessee (Smoky Mountain Raptor Center)
- Unreleasable due to behavioral abnormality - human imprint
- Flighted - Yes
AJ was hatched in 2014 and came to us from the Smoky Mountain Raptor Center in Tennessee with his name. Not much is known about his history, but he lives with us because of a behavioral disability.
Not all raptors have physical injuries, such as being partially blind or having a broken wing. Some birds are found as juveniles and raised illegally by people during a critical developmental period in their lives. Because of this, they self-identify with people, not their own species, and would not thrive in the wild.
American kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America. They are still scary predators to the food they eat, including animals like small rodents, insects (dragonflies, butterflies, etc), and sometimes small birds. However, because of their size, they can sometimes become prey to larger falcons or accipiter hawks.
