Kestrel (redirected from American kestrels)

kestrel

Male common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).

(credit: Werner Layer—Bruce Coleman Ltd.)

Any of several birds of prey (genus Falco) known for hovering while hunting. Kestrels prey on large insects, birds, and small mammals. The male is more colourful than the female. Kestrels are mainly Old World birds, but one species, the American kestrel (F. sparverius), often called the sparrow hawk in the U.S., is common throughout North and South America. It is about 12 in. (30 cm) long, white or yellowish below, and reddish brown and slate-gray above with colourful markings on the head. The common kestrel (F. tinnunculus) of the Old World is larger and less colourful. See also falcon.

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kestrel

any of several small falcons, esp the European Falco tinnunculus, that tend to hover against the wind and feed on small mammals on the ground

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Kestrel 

(Cerchneis tinnunculus), a bird of prey of the family Falconidae. The body is 31–38 cm long and weighs 160–240 g. The females are larger than the males. The back and tail of the female are reddish yellow with dark transverse stripes; the males have dark speckles above and a gray tail with a dark tip.

The kestrel is found in Europe, Asia (except the Far North), and Africa. It inhabits all zones except the tundra, living both in mountains and on the plains. In the Pamir Mountains the bird has been observed at elevations reaching 4,000 m. In the northern part of its range, the kestrel is a migratory bird. It nests in trees, using the old nests of other birds, on rocky cliffs, and in abandoned buildings. A clutch contains four or five eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 28 days. The birds leave the nest within a month. Kestrels feed on small rodents, insects, lizards, and small birds. They are useful in exterminating rodents.