Listen to the common kestrel
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common kestrel
The common kestrel is a bird in the family Falconidae (order Falconiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 73 cm and weigh around 167 g.
What does the common kestrel sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as flight call, begging call, call and alarm call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
Related birds in the genus Falco
More from the family Falconidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a common kestrel sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the common kestrel on this page, including its flight call, begging call and call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the common kestrel endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common kestrel as “least concern”.
What family does the common kestrel belong to?
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) belongs to the family Falconidae in the order Falconiformes.
Sources & credits
- Falco tinnunculus - Common Kestrel by Javier Herrera – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Alarm call, flight call · Trilbardou, Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q26490 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common kestrel – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Andreas Trepte – CC BY-SA 2.5