# Common kestrel (*Falco tinnunculus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kestrel  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 183.2 g – 221 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 73 cm |
| Lifespan | 20.4 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 23.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Egg incubation | 28 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.2 – 4.5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aerial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Falconiformes
- family: Falconidae
- genus: Falco
- species: *Falco tinnunculus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Cerchneis tinnunculus*, *Hierax tinnunculus*, *Tinnuculus saturatus*, *Tinnunculus linnéi*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-kestrel