NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rock Kestrel
Falco rupicolus Daudin, 1800
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
This species occurs in Africa, from northwestern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to southern Tanzania, and south to South Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Rock kestrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:55:17.845889+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Falco rupicolus Daudin, 1800
- Name authority
- Daudin, 1800
- Common name
- Rock Kestrel
- 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderFalconiformes
- familyFalconidae Leach, 1820
- subfamilyFalconinae Leach, 1820
- genusFalco Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesFalco rupicolus Daudin, 1800
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Falco. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Amur FalconFalco amurensis Radde, 1863 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown FalconFalco berigora Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lanner FalconFalco biarmicus Temminck, 1825 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian FalconFalco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-headed FalconFalco chicquera Daudin, 1800 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African HobbyFalco cuvierii A. Smith, 1830 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange-breasted FalconFalco deiroleucus Temminck, 1825 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Taita FalconFalco fasciinucha Reichenow & Neumann, 1895 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Aplomado FalconFalco femoralis Temminck, 1822 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray FalconFalco hypoleucos Gould, 1841 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Laggar FalconFalco jugger J. E. Gray, 1834 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus Schlegel, 1850 | FalconidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Falco tinnunculus rupicolus Daudin, 1800 Daudin, 1800 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=824058 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:3DTGQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.