Wordless Wednesday

 

This young man was a guest in my house while his handler was away.  He is a male American Kestrel, the smallest of the Falcons in the United States.  He is an education bird for the Illinois Raptor Center.  Because they are migrating birds it was necessary to bring him in the house because it was too cold for him in his mew.  He is a wild bird that was injured (left wing) and though he could still fly, he could no longer hunt well enough to survive in the wild.  He now travels to schools, park districts and organizational gatherings to educate people about the important  role of the raptor in the balance of nature.   Is he not a handsome boy?