1. Small North American falcon; SYN. American kestrel, kestrel, Falco sparverius.
2. Small hawk of Eurasia and North Africa; SYN. Accipiter nisus.
Alternate (but no longer correct) name for the American kestrel. The name now only refers to a small woodland hawk Accipiter nisus found in Eurasia and N Africa. It has a long tail and short wings. The male grows to 28 cm/11 in long, and the female 38 cm/15 in. It hunts small birds.