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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Australian Falcon

Falco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides). Bushell's Lagoon, New South Wales, Australia

Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides). Bushell's Lagoon, New South Wales, Australia

JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

The nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides), also known as the Australian kestrel, is a raptor native to Australia and New Guinea. It is one of the smallest falcons, and unlike many, does not rely on speed to catch its prey. Instead, it simply perches in an exposed position, but it also has a distinctive technique of hovering over crop and grasslands.

Wikipedia contributors, Nankeen kestrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:10:17.222995+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Falco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
Name authority
Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
Common name
Australian Falcon
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Falconiformes
Family
Falconidae
Genus
Falco
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderFalconiformes
  10. familyFalconidae Leach, 1820
  11. subfamilyFalconinae Leach, 1820
  12. genusFalco Linnaeus, 1758
  13. speciesFalco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Falco. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Amur FalconFalco amurensis Radde, 1863FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Brown FalconFalco berigora Vigors & Horsfield, 1827FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Lanner FalconFalco biarmicus Temminck, 1825FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Red-headed FalconFalco chicquera Daudin, 1800FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
African HobbyFalco cuvierii A. Smith, 1830FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Orange-breasted FalconFalco deiroleucus Temminck, 1825FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Taita FalconFalco fasciinucha Reichenow & Neumann, 1895FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Aplomado FalconFalco femoralis Temminck, 1822FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Gray FalconFalco hypoleucos Gould, 1841FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Laggar FalconFalco jugger J. E. Gray, 1834FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus Schlegel, 1850FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Lesser KestrelFalco naumanni J. G. Fleischer, 1818FalconidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 57 records assigned to Falconidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Australia

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175632 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:3DTFT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.