Common kestrel
Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small bird of prey in the family Falconidae, order Falconiformes. Adults weigh 183.2 g, with a highest reported body mass of 221 g, and have a wingspan of 73 cm.
Quick facts about the common kestrel
It is a migratory carnivore with an aerial lifestyle, and its habitat is listed as shrubland. It lays one clutch per year with a clutch size of 4.5, incubates eggs for 28 days, reaches sexual maturity at 1 year and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 183.2 g – 221 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 73 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 20.4 years – 23.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.2 – 4.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common kestrel?
Photos of the common kestrel
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the common kestrel live?
Not recorded
What is the common kestrel?
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, Old World kestrel, 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Common kestrel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_kestrel&oldid=1384218174), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the common kestrel sound like?
Is the common kestrel endangered?
The common kestrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common kestrel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderFalconiformes
- familyFalconidae
- genusFalco
- SpeciesFalco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Cerchneis tinnunculus, Hierax tinnunculus, Tinnuculus saturatus, Tinnunculus linnéi
Other names and names in other languages (170)
- Eurasian kestrelEnglish
- European kestrelEnglish
- KestrelEnglish
- WindfuckerEnglish
- RooivalkAfrikaans
- ToringvalkAfrikaans
- WänneliAlbanian
- باشقArabic
- العوسقArabic
- عاسوقArabic
- عوسقArabic
- صقر الجرادArabic
- عوسق شائعArabic
- CiquilínAragonese
- PeñerinaAsturian
- PenheirinaAsturian
- MamaniAymara
- Adi muymuluAzerbaijani
- ТоромтайBashkir
- Сокал-пустальгаBelarusian
- Пустальга звычайнаяBelarusian
- КеркенезBulgarian
- Обикновена ветрушкаBulgarian
- Черношипа ветрушкаBulgarian
- পাতি কেস্ট্রেলBangla
- Falc'hun-logodBreton
- Falc'hun-logotaerBreton
- XoricCatalan
- XoriguerCatalan
- xoriguer comúCatalan
- КалявӓрӓшMari
- ЯкăлпайChuvash
- Ахаль якӑлпайChuvash
- مشکگرەCentral Kurdish
- Falcu stantaroluCorsican
- poštolka obecnáCzech
- cudyll cochWelsh
- Cudyllod CochWelsh
- RüttlerGerman
- RüttelfalkeGerman
- TurmfalkeGerman
- TurnfalkeGerman
- ΒραχοκιρκίνεζοGreek
- tura falkoEsperanto
- Komuna turfalkoEsperanto
- Cernicalo comúnSpanish
- Cernícalo vulgarSpanish
- tuuletallajaEstonian
- Belatz gorriBasque
- دلیجهPersian
- دلیجه معمولیPersian
- tuulihaukkaFinnish
- GrytissmyrilFaroese
- grýtissmyrilFaroese
- ÉmouchetFrench
- CresserelleFrench
- Faucon crécerelleFrench
- TürnfalkNorthern Frisian
- Falcuç di cjampaniliFriulian
- Reade wikelWestern Frisian
- clamhan ruadhScottish Gaelic
- clamhain ruadhScottish Gaelic
- pocaire gaoitheScottish Gaelic
- speireag ruadhScottish Gaelic
- Speireag-ruadhScottish Gaelic
- speireagan ruadhScottish Gaelic
- LagarteiroGalician
- Stannair ruyManx
- Vjetruša kliktavkaSerbian (Latin)
- בז מצויHebrew
- vjetrušaCroatian
- PustawaUpper Sorbian
- vörös vércseHungarian
- Սովորական հողմավար բազեArmenian
- Alap-alapIndonesian
- Alap-alap erasiaIndonesian
- TurnfálkiIcelandic
- GheppioItalian
- チョウゲンボウJapanese
- კირკიტაGeorgian
- ჩვეულებრივი კირკიტაGeorgian
- КъаргъэуэгуKabardian
- Кöйкенекkjh
- Кәдімгі күйкентайKazakh
- 황조롱이Korean
- باشیكKurdish
- TeşîlokKurdish
- TygriCornish
- TygryCornish
- KréchelLuxembourgish
- TuermfallekLuxembourgish
- Гьакӏан тӏегъерхъанLezghian
- Filadressalld
- pelėsakalisLithuanian
- paprastasis pelėsakalisLithuanian
- lauku piekūnsLatvian
- колягайыкMari
- кылкиварашMari
- ветрушкаMacedonian
- വിറയൻപുള്ള്Malayalam
- വിറയന് പുള്ള്Malayalam
- Начин шонхорMongolian
- सामान्य खरूचीMarathi
- Burung Falko SeraniMalay
- torenvalkDutch
- tårnfalkNorwegian Nynorsk
- Êteurcéletnrm
- Moisset rosOccitan
- ÉmouqhéPicard
- pustułkaPolish
- pustułka (zwyczajna)Polish
- TorieulPiedmontese
- عام کیسٹرلWestern Panjabi
- peneireiroPortuguese
- Peneireiro-das-árvoresPortuguese
- peneireiro-de-dorso-malhadoPortuguese
- peneireiro-eurasiáticoPortuguese
- Peneireiro-grandePortuguese
- CrivelRomansh
- SpanjulettRomany
- Vânturel roşuRomanian
- Vânturel roșuRomanian
- vânturelul roşuRomanian
- ПустельгаRussian
- обыкновенная пустельгаRussian
- ПустыльгаRusyn
- Кугас кырбыйYakut
- AbbanedduSicilian
- BieggafálliNorthern Sami
- sokol myšiarSlovak
- sokol myšiar (pustovka)Slovak
- postovkaSlovenian
- navadna postovkaSlovenian
- fajkuaAlbanian
- aqyfleriAlbanian
- fakjonjaAlbanian
- falkoniAlbanian
- kaçubetiAlbanian
- petritiAlbanian
- shahimi (kthetrazi)Albanian
- shahiniAlbanian
- skifteriAlbanian
- Skifteri kthetraziAlbanian
- skilferiAlbanian
- skilfyerAlbanian
- skyferiAlbanian
- skylferiAlbanian
- sokol i dobishëmAlbanian
- sokoliAlbanian
- sokoli i erësAlbanian
- VetruškaSerbian
- Vetruška / ветрушкаSerbian
- TzrepedderiSardinian
- StoothaukSaterland Frisian
- tornfalkSwedish
- Kozi kichwa-kijivuSwahili
- சிற்றெழால்Tamil
- เหยี่ยวเคสเตรลThai
- KerkenezTurkish
- bayağı kerkenezTurkish
- Астынар шаңгырTuvinian
- БоривітерUkrainian
- Боривітер звичайнийUkrainian
- FalchetoVenetian
- Cắt hung lưngVietnamese
- ToornvalkeWest Flemish
- CressaleWalloon
- SteekvogelZeelandic
- 紅隼Chinese
- 红隼Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common kestrel
Other species in the same genus Falco.
Peregrine falcon
Falco peregrinus
Eurasian hobby
Falco subbuteo
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Gyrfalcon
Falco rusticolus
Red-footed falcon
Falco vespertinus
Lesser kestrel
Falco naumanni
CompareCommon kestrel vs Peregrine falconCommon kestrel vs Eurasian hobbyCommon kestrel vs MerlinCommon kestrel vs Gyrfalcon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common kestrel?
The common kestrel is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae and the order Falconiformes.
How heavy is a common kestrel?
An adult common kestrel weighs 183.2 g, and the highest body mass reported by our sources is 221 g.
What is the wingspan of the common kestrel?
The common kestrel has a wingspan of 73 cm.
What does the common kestrel eat?
The common kestrel is a carnivore.
Is the common kestrel endangered?
No. The common kestrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a common kestrel live?
The common kestrel has a lifespan of 20.42 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 23.83 years.
How many eggs does the common kestrel lay?
The common kestrel has a clutch size of 4.5 eggs and lays 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 28 days.
Who named the common kestrel?
The common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kestrel
“Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kestrel.
@misc{common_kestrel_2026,
title = {Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kestrel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}