Bird Album
Fox Kestrel
Falco alopex (Heuglin, 1861)
274 gWeight
The fox kestrel (Falco alopex) is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae.
Busiest months: February–March and May · Most records: Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya
Where and when it's recorded
Fox Kestrel has been recorded at 36 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Amurum Forest ReserveNigeria77 records
- Kidepo Valley NPUganda23 records
- Waza NPCameroon18 records
More places
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya13 records
- Awash NPEthiopia9 records
- Benoue NPCameroon8 records
- Mole NPGhana8 records
- Dindefelo – Départ sentier des cascadesSenegal7 records
- Tono Dam & vicinityGhana7 records
- Park PendjariBenin6 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The fox kestrel (Falco alopex) is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. It is found in arid, open country in the northern part of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Fox Kestrel?
The Fox Kestrel weighs around 274 g.
Where does the Fox Kestrel live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. It is most often recorded in Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya.
When is the best time to see the Fox Kestrel?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, March and May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Fox Kestrel endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Fox Kestrel as Least Concern.
What does the Fox Kestrel eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Fox Kestrel in?
It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 274 g
- Habitat
- Rocky terrain
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 280 mm
- Tail
- 192 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 42 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia to Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
- Genus
- Falco
Other birds in the genus Falco
Lesser KestrelFalco naumanni
Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Rock KestrelFalco rupicolus
Malagasy KestrelFalco newtoni
Mauritius KestrelFalco punctatus
Seychelles KestrelFalco araeus
Spotted KestrelFalco moluccensis
Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
American KestrelFalco sparverius
Greater KestrelFalco rupicoloides
Grey KestrelFalco ardosiaceus
Dickinson's KestrelFalco dickinsoni
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by David Beadle. ↗
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