The chicks’ feathering has come in enough that we now know their sex. American Kestrels are a bit unusual in the raptor world, in that males and females have distinctly different plumage colors and patterns. And, American Kestrels get their gender-revealing feathers early in life. Check out this article for an explanation and helpful illustrations.
When I’m trying to identify an American Kestrel as male or female, the first thing I look at is the tail: The female has many bars on her tail, whereas the male’s tail is solid rust-colored with just one black bar near the tip that’s wide. Next, the female also has lots of small black bars on her back, while the male has much less that are over a much darker rusty-orange colored plumage. For the chicks right now, this plumage difference on their backs is the most distinctive difference. Continuing on the general theme of stripes vs. no-stripes, the female has light brown vertical streaks down her front, but the male does not. Instead, his breast is speckled with black spots. Lastly, and quite beautifully, the male American Kestrel has a lot of blue color on his wings.
Benicia Kestrels 
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