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American Kestrel
Sign in to saveAlso known as Falco sparverius, Sparrow hawk (archaic), American sparrowhawk
species of bird
OverviewAI-generated
The American Kestrel (*Falco sparverius*) is a species of falcon classified within the family Falconidae, order Falconiformes, class Aves, and phylum Chordata. The taxon was described by Linnaeus in 1758 and is recognized as an accepted species. It is distinct from the sparrowhawk genus *Accipiter*. Common names for this bird include *cudyll coch America*, *Buntfalke*, and *Cernícalo americano*.
This species has a wingspan of 0.58. Its range includes Brazil, South America, and Chapada dos Guimarães. The American Kestrel is currently listed with a conservation status of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, a designation recorded in 2025.
Synthesized by Vinony from 23 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Least ConcernAmerican kestrel
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderFalconiformes
- FamilyFalconidae
The smallest falcon in North America (9-12 inches), the American Kestrel is most easily identified by its small size, rufous-brown tail, and rufous-brown back with dark horizontal bars. Other field marks include a white throat, white cheeks, and a slate-blue head with a rufous crown. Male American Kestrels have slate-blue wings, while females are larger and have rufous wings. The American Kestrel breeds across a wide portion of North America from Alaska and Canada to central Mexico. In winter, American Kestrels withdraw from northern portions of their range, wintering from the north-central United States south to Panama. Many American Kestrels in southern portions of this species’ breeding range are non-migratory, as are other populations in Central America, the West Indies, and South America. American Kestrels inhabit a number of open habitats, including grasslands, fields, meadows, and urban areas, that provide cavities for nesting as well as open areas for hunting. This species utilizes similar habitat types in winter as in summer, although nesting cavities are not necessary in that season. American Kestrels eat a variety of small animals, including insects, small birds, and rod
via IUCN
Wikidata facts
Show 10 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- IUCN conservation status
- Least Concern
- taxon name
- Falco sparverius
- Commons category
- Falco sparverius
- Commons gallery
- Falco sparverius
- taxon common name
- боривітер американський
- wingspan
- 0.58
- taxon range
- Chapada dos Guimarães
- short name
- F. sparverius
- different from
- sparrowhawk
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Though it has been called the American sparrowhawk, this common name is a misnomer; the American kestrel is a true falcon, while neither the Eurasian sparrowhawk nor the other species called sparrowhawks are in the Falconidae family, hence only very distantly related to the American kestrel. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove. It also ranges to South America and is a well-established species that has evolved into 17 subspecies adapted to different environments and habitats throughout the Americas. It exhibits sexual dimorphism in size (females being moderately larger) and plumage, although both sexes have a rufous back with noticeable barring. Its plumage is colorful and attractive, and juveniles are similar in plumage to adults.
The American kestrel usually hunts in energy-conserving fashion by perching and scanning the ground for prey to ambush, though it also hunts from the air. It sometimes hovers in the air with rapid wing beats while homing in on prey. Its diet typically consists of grasshoppers and other insects, lizards, mice, and small birds (e.g. sparrows). This broad diet has contributed to its wide success as a species. It nests in cavities in trees, cliffs, buildings, and other structures. The female lays three to seven eggs, which both sexes help to incubate.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “American Kestrel” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.