American Kestrel (male)
Kestrels, Oregon's smallest falcons, are summer residents of the Fort Rock Basin, nesting in clefts and holes on the sheer walls of Fort Rock State Park. While insects are the principal prey of kestrels, they also prey on mice, small birds and especially lizards. One surefire way a male kestrel entices a female to join him in raising a family is to offer her a delicious western fence lizard or sagebrush lizard. It works every time!

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