American Kestrel

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USA O1 USAO1 ARORA CO American Kestrel Amaricay ! JUN 22 19 SUSA 25 Yosemite CHUCK RIPPER

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AMERICAN KESTREL First Day of Issue: June 22, 1991 First Issue Location: Aurora, Colorado From the deserts of the Southwest to the lush Florida marshlands, the American kestrel's range is broader than that of any other American bird of prey. The American kestrel hunts the stunted forests of Alaska's high Arctic, the cotton fields of Georgia and the rolling prairie of South Dakota. The kestrel is an opportunist and this is one of the reasons it has such a vast territory. In Alaska, the little raptor might prey upon voles and gophers; the same species in Kansas might subsist almost exclusively on songbirds and grasshoppers. The smallest of the falcons with a wing span of less than two feet, the kestrel is well known for its habit of hovering while hunting. Wind currents help the kestrel to stay in roughly the same location as it faces into the wind, with only the slightest wing movement needed to adjust the height. If a future meal is spotted, the kestrel will swoop and pounce with amazing swiftness. The U.S. Postal Service stamp on this Maximum Card honors the American Kestrel, the pint- sized hunter of the skies. No. 91-44 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Chuck Ripper