What is the difference between a Common Kestrel and an American Kestrel?

Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) are larger and heavier than American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), with females reaching 9 oz versus 5 oz. Common Kestrels primarily hunt rodents using their distinctive hovering technique, while American Kestrels take more insects and small birds. Common Kestrels are generally considered calmer and more tractable in falconry.

Can you fly a Common Kestrel in the United States?

Common Kestrels are not native to North America and are not typically available or permitted for falconry in the United States. The American Kestrel fills the equivalent ecological and falconry niche in North America. Import of non-native raptors for falconry is heavily regulated under federal law.

Is the Common Kestrel easier to train than the American Kestrel?

Generally, yes. Common Kestrels are larger, giving them a wider weight management margin, and they tend to be somewhat calmer on the fist. However, they still require precise daily weight monitoring and consistent handling. Their larger size and rodent-focused hunting style make them a slightly more forgiving introduction to small falcon falconry.

Common Kestrel (Chōgenbō) — The Old World's Accessible Falconry Falcon

The Wind Hover

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The Common Kestrel has a long history in Old World falconry, though it has rarely been considered a prestigious species. Medieval European falconry manuals assigned the kestrel to the lowest social rank — knaves and servants — reflecting the bird's small size and humble quarry rather than any lack of capability. Despite this low status, kestrel falconry persisted among common people who lacked access to the Goshawks and Peregrines reserved for nobility. In Japan, the Common Kestrel (Chōgenbō) has been used in traditional falconry to a limited extent, primarily as a training bird for young or aspiring falconers before they graduated to larger species. This training role has given the Common Kestrel an enduring place in global falconry culture.

Common Kestrel vs. American Kestrel

Falconers familiar with the American Kestrel often ask how it compares to the Common Kestrel. While both are small falcons, they differ in several important ways:

Size: Common Kestrels are noticeably larger and heavier, with females reaching 9 oz compared to the American Kestrel's 5 oz. This extra mass provides a wider weight management window and slightly more forgiveness of feeding errors.
Hunting style: Common Kestrels are primarily rodent hunters that rely on hovering and pouncing, while American Kestrels take a wider variety of prey including insects and small birds. This affects the type of quarry and habitat you will hunt.
Temperament: Common Kestrels are generally considered calmer and less flighty than American Kestrels. They tend to settle more quickly on the fist and tolerate handling with less frequent bating, making the manning process somewhat smoother.
Primary quarry: Common Kestrels in falconry are typically flown at voles, mice, and shrews, with occasional small bird or large insect quarry. American Kestrels are more commonly flown at sparrows and insects. The Common Kestrel's rodent focus means you need access to suitable grassland or agricultural habitat.

Hunting Style

Common Kestrels bring their natural hovering instinct into falconry, creating a distinctive hunting experience:

Voles and mice The primary quarry for falconry Common Kestrels, hunted over grassland, stubble fields, and rough pasture
Shrews Small but abundant prey taken opportunistically, especially in rough grassland habitats
Large insects Grasshoppers, beetles, and other large invertebrates, particularly useful during training and conditioning
Small birds Occasionally taken, especially by experienced females, though this is not the species' primary strength

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Weight Management

Weight management for Common Kestrels is more forgiving than for American Kestrels, but still demands careful attention:

Wider margins than American Kestrels: At 5-9 ounces, Common Kestrels have a usable weight window of roughly 8-12 grams — still narrow by buteo standards, but meaningfully wider than the 5-8 gram window typical of American Kestrels.
Daily weighing essential: As with all small raptors, daily gram-scale weigh-ins are non-negotiable. Track weight trends over several days rather than reacting to single readings.
Seasonal adjustment: Common Kestrels handle cool weather better than American Kestrels due to their larger body mass, but extended cold snaps still require increased food rations and attention to overnight weight loss.

Is a Common Kestrel Right for You?

Consider a Common Kestrel If:

You are a beginning or intermediate falconer outside North America looking for an accessible first falcon
You have access to grassland, agricultural fields, or rough pasture with healthy vole populations
You want to learn falcon handling and weight management fundamentals with a relatively forgiving species
You have limited space and cannot house a larger raptor
You are interested in the unique spectacle of hover-hunting falconry

Look Elsewhere If:

You are primarily interested in hunting birds rather than rodents
You want the prestige and challenge of a larger falcon species
You live in North America, where the American Kestrel fills a similar ecological role
You lack access to suitable open-ground hunting habitat with rodent prey
You are looking for a species that can take larger, more substantial quarry

Common Kestrel