kestrel

English - Turkish

Definition of kestrel in English Turkish dictionary

kerkenez

Falco tinnunculus

(isim) kerkenez

Related Terms

lesser kestrel

küçük kerkenez

English - English

Definition of kestrel in English English dictionary

Any of various small falcons of the genus Falco that hover while hunting

{n} a bird of the hawk kind, the stannel

Also called windhover and stannel

small Old World falcon that hovers in the air against a wind

A small, slender European hawk (Falco alaudarius), allied to the sparrow hawk

Its color is reddish fawn, streaked and spotted with white and black

small North American falcon

A kestrel is a small bird of prey. a type of bird that is like a small falcon (crécerelle, from crécelle ). Any of several birds of prey (genus Falco) known for hovering while hunting. Kestrels prey on large insects, birds, and small mammals. The male is more colourful than the female. Kestrels are mainly Old World birds, but one species, the American kestrel (F. sparverius), often called the sparrow hawk in the U.S., is common throughout North and South America. It is about 12 in. (30 cm) long, white or yellowish below, and reddish brown and slate-gray above with colourful markings on the head. The common kestrel (F. tinnunculus) of the Old World is larger and less colourful. See also falcon

The common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus

The name is also applied to other allied species

{i} type of small falcon

Related Terms

American kestrel

a species of small falcon, Falco sparverius; a kestrel

lesser kestrel

(Kuşbilim) The Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central Asia to China. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan. It is rare north of its breeding range, and declining in its European range. The scientific name of this bird commemorates the German naturalist Johann Andreas Naumann

The kestrel

vanner hawk

The kestrel

hoverhawk

The kestrel

maalin

kestrels

plural of kestrel

Hyphenation

kes·trel

Synonyms

windhover, staniel

Etymology

[ 'kes-tr&l ] (noun.) 15th century. From Middle English castrel (“staniel, bird of prey”), from Middle French cresserelle, crecerelle (“bird of prey”), derivative of crecelle (“rattle, wooden reel”), of obscure origin. Derivation from the assumed Vulgar Latin *crepicella, *crepitacillum, a diminutive of crepitāculum, from crepitāre (“to crackle”) is difficult to explain from a morphological point of view. Instead, possibly from a root *krek-, *krak- (“to crack, rattle, creak, emit a bird cry”), of Germanic origin, from Middle Dutch crāken (“to creak, crack”), from Old Dutch *krakōn (“to crack, creak, emit a cry”), from Proto-Germanic *krakōjanan (“to emit a cry, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *gArg- (“to shout”). Cognate with Old High German krahhōn (“to make a sound, crash”), Old English cracian (“to resound”), Middle French craquer (used of birds, “to emit a repeated cry”). More at creak, crack.