n.
Pronunciation: ' kes-tr ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English castrel, from Middle French crecerelle, from crecelle rattle; from its cry
Date: 15th century
: any of various small chiefly Old World falcons (genus Falco ) that usually hover in the air while searching for prey: as a : a common Eurasian falcon ( F. tinnunculus ) b : an American falcon ( F. sparverius ) having a reddish-brown back and tail and bluish-gray wings