Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderFalconiformes (Falcons and Caracaras)
- FamilyFalconidae (Falcons and Caracaras)
- GenusFalco (Typical Falcons)
- SpeciesFalco tinnunculus (Common Kestrel)
About the Common Kestrel
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, Old World kestrel, or windfucker is a species of predatory bird belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. In the United Kingdom, where no other kestrel species commonly occurs, it is generally just called the "kestrel".
This species occurs over a large native range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. It has colonized a few oceanic islands, but vagrant individuals are generally rare; in the whole of Micronesia for example, the species was only recorded twice each on Guam and Saipan in the Marianas.
The common kestrel was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Falco tinnunculus. Linnaeus specified the type location as Europe but restricted this to Sweden in 1761. The genus name is Late Latin from falx, falcis, a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird. The species name tinnunculus is Latin for "kestrel" from "tinnulus", "shrill". The Latin name tinnunculus had been used by the... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Ecrins National Park
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Common Kestrel in Ecrins National Park?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Kestrel sighting in Ecrins National Park, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Kestrel in Ecrins National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Common Kestrel in Ecrins National Park in our monthly data.