Back to Field Guide
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Migration Flyway
Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species
Last Spotted Near You
About the American Kestrel
The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest and most common falcon in the Americas. Though it has been called the American "sparrow hawk", this now obsolete vernacular 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 family Falconidae, 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.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Falco sparverius
- Family
- Falcons and Caracaras
- Order
- Falconiformes
Similar species
Other members of the falcons and caracaras family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis
- Barred Forest-Falcon Micrastur ruficollis
- Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis
- Collared Forest-Falcon Micrastur semitorquatus
- Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
- Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo
- Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Guadalupe Caracara Caracara lutosa
- Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
- Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus
- Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans
- Merlin Falco columbarius
Know when the American Kestrel turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting American Kestrel
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide