Bird Album
Greater Kestrel
Falco rupicoloides Smith, A, 1829
261 gWeight
The greater kestrel (Falco rupicoloides) or white-eyed kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae.
Busiest months: April · Most records: Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia
Where and when it's recorded
Greater Kestrel has been recorded at 88 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 11 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Serengeti NPTanzania259 records
- Amboseli NPKenya145 records
- Etosha NP – Okaukuejo CampNamibia137 records
More places
- Engikaret Lark PlainsTanzania101 records
- Etosha NP – Halali CampNamibia80 records
- Serengeti NP – Naabi Hill GateTanzania78 records
- Benfontein NRSouth Africa78 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa76 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – NdutuTanzania58 records
- Serengeti NPTanzania56 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 greater kestrel (Falco rupicoloides) or white-eyed kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. It is one of the largest kestrels and is found in open country in southern and eastern Africa.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Greater Kestrel?
The Greater Kestrel weighs around 261 g.
Where does the Greater Kestrel live?
Its breeding range: Africa: eastern, southern. It is most often recorded in Tanzania, South Africa and Namibia.
When is the best time to see the Greater Kestrel?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Greater Kestrel endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Greater Kestrel as Least Concern.
What does the Greater Kestrel eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Greater Kestrel in?
It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 261 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 276 mm
- Tail
- 161 mm
- Bill
- 23 mm
- Tarsus
- 44 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: eastern, southern
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
Fox KestrelFalco alopex
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 Gonzalo Giribet. ↗
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