NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
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.
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Andreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Common kestrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:57:06.651180+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Common 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 tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758
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 |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Oceania
Southern Asia
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=175620 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:3DTGW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.