Kestrel Facts: The Cutest Falcon
Kestrels are tiny falcons, and they are cute as heck. “Kestrel” is a name applied to many different types of Falcons around the world that are similar in their size and behaviour.
The name came into English circa 1600 from the French word “cresserele.” The “t” sound likely developed in French before the word landed in the English language. The word’s roots come from words meaning “noisy bell” or “rattle,” which is assumed to be from the belief that their call scared away other hawks. 1
The Common Kestrel’s most frequent call is a “kee-kee-kee-kee” repeated through flight that is assumed to meant to mark territory.2
As usual in scientific classification, there is a debate about what a “true” Kestrel is. Three species that bear the name Kestrel are in the same grouping of true Kestrels, but many Kestrels are missing the stripe on their cheeks, making them closer to falcons than Kestrels. I’m sure this has been the subject of heated debate.
There are sixteen different birds that go by the name Kestrel and one of them went extinct in the 18th century.
The Common Kestrel, or just the Kestrel if you’re in the UK, is the most widely spread. There are eleven subspecies of the Common Kestrel.3
In the Americas, the American Kestrel is the only tiny falcon around. It is sometimes mistakenly called a Sparrowhawk. There are 17 subspecies of the American Kestrel, and its range spans nearly all of South and North America.4
Kestrels in general—whether they are “true” Kestrels or not—typically hunt by flying 10-20 metres above the ground over open fields, deserts, and grasslands and then swoop down to feast on small mammals, lizards, or large insects.
One of the cutest descriptions of a Kestrel I found is the “All About Birds” note on “Behaviour:”5
American Kestrels usually snatch their victims from the ground, though some catch quarry on the wing. They are gracefully buoyant in flight, and are small enough to get tossed around in the wind. When perched, kestrels often pump their tails as if they are trying to balance.
Aside Quarry! That was a new word to me. In this context, it means “a hunted animal”6
That’s all for Kestrel facts for now! There are so many kinds of Kestrels to learn about, but the most important fact to remember is that they are the cutest killers of the sky.