Sparrow Hawk (aka American Kestrel)

This painting is of a male American kestrel (also known as a Sparrow Hawk). It was painted using artist quality Atelier Interactive acrylic paints and was finished with two coats of Gamvar Painting Varnish, which gave it a gloss finish. It was painted on an archival 9x12” gessoed canvas panel. The reference material for this painting was obtained from various Internet sources.
Our smallest falcon, the kestrel is also the most familiar and widespread in North America. In open country it is commonly seen perched on roadside wires, or hovering low over a field on rapidly beating wings, waiting to pounce on a grasshopper, small mammals, birds, or bats in flight. Kestrels nest in cavities in trees; in places where there are few large dead snags to provide nest sites, they may rely on nesting boxes put up for them by conservationists.