About This Stamp
The 1-cent American Kestrel definitive was issued on June 22, 1991, at the Topex ’91 stamp show in Aurora, Colorado. Along with the Eastern Bluebird stamp issued the same day, the American Kestrel was the first U.S. denominated postage stamp to be printed on an offset press since World War I.
The magenta, yellow, cyan, and black stamp was designed by Michael R. Matherly, printed on a Miller four-color offset sheet fed press by American Bank Note Company (ABNC), and perforated 11 on an L perforator. The stamp was printed and distributed in panes of 100, 10 across and 10 down, printed by plates of 400 subjects. One group of four cylinder numbers preceded by the letter ‘A’ is printed alongside the corner stamp. “© USPS 1991.” and “USE CORRECT ZIP CODE ®” are printed in the selvage.
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest falcon in North America. Both sexes have reddish and blue crowns. Males have blue wings and cinnamon or rusty backs and tails with a chestnut patch on top of the head. The breast is white with dark spots. Females have a cinnamon body color with dark streaks with chestnut wings with black bars and chestnut streaks on the breast. The breast is a lighter tan color with vertical brown streaks. The American Kestrel is approximately 9-12 inches long with a wingspan of 20-24 inches, weighing 2.8-5.8 ounces. It feeds on large insects, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
American Kestrels are widely distributed across the Americas, their breeding range extending as far north as central and western Alaska, across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America into central Mexico, the Baja, and the Caribbean. During the winter, female and male American Kestrels use different habitats, especially in the southern regions. The female uses the more open habitat, and the male uses areas with more trees.