American Kestrel

Falco sparverius (Linnaeus, 1758) AMEKE 3050
Family: Falconiformes > Falconidae

American Kestrel, Simon Gillings

Smaller than our Kestrel, males and females normally winter in different habitats in South America (wooded and open, respectively), but occasional individuals have turned up in Britain & Ireland.

This first British record came in late May 1976 (a male on Fair Isle) and was closely followed by an adult female that was discovered 17 days and 900 miles further south on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the American Kestrel

  • Breeding
  • Winter
19 records observations recorded by BTO surveyors
19 records

BTO RECORDS

19 records observations recorded by BTO surveyors
19 records

BTO RECORDS

Identification

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Status and Trends

Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.

CONSERVATION STATUS

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

POPULATION SIZE

We have no population estimates for this scarce species.

DISTRIBUTION

This species is a rare vagrant and was recorded during Bird Atlas 2007–11 as shown on the map.

American Kestrel winter distribution 2008-11
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

DISTRIBUTION CHANGE

This vagrant is too rarely reported to map distribution change.

Movement

Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

RINGING RECOVERIES

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information about American Kestrel, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING

Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.

BIOMETRICS

Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

CODES & CLASSIFICATION

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Catalan: xoriguer americà
Czech: poštolka pestrá
Danish: Amerikansk Tårnfalk
Dutch: Amerikaanse Torenvalk
Estonian: ameerika tuuletallaja
Finnish: amerikantuulihaukka
French: Crécerelle d’Amérique
German: Buntfalke
Hungarian: tarka vércse
Icelandic: Skrúðfálki
Italian: Gheppio americano
Latvian: raibais piekuns
Lithuanian: amerikinis pelesakalis
Norwegian: Spurvefalk
Polish: pustulka amerykanska
Portuguese: quiriquiri / peneireiro-americano
Slovak: sokol pestrý
Slovenian: ameriška postovka
Spanish: Cernícalo americano
Swedish: sparvfalk

Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com

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