Female American Kestrel survives double amputation

Free-ranging raptors are susceptible to a variety of injuries, many of which are sustained while pursuing and/or capturing live prey. Injuries hindering an individual’s ability to capture prey, such as partial blindness, damage to the bill, and foot or leg injuries, are debilitating and potentially life-threatening. However, there are ample observations in the literature of free-ranging raptors with eye (Bedrosian and St.Pierre 2007), bill (Strobel and Haralson-Strobel 2009) and foot and leg injuries (Blodget et al. 1990, Murza et al. 2000, Dwyer 2006, Bedrosian and St.Pierre 2007), suggesting that some individuals are able to compensate for their injuries if only partial functionality is lost (e.g., loss of only one eye). Reports of injuries resulting in the complete loss of functionality (e.g., loss of both eyes) are rare as individuals suffering such severe trauma presumably do not survive long. Here we report the capture on a bal-chatri trap of an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius; hereafter kestrel) with previous amputation of both legs