KESTREL

[kes.trel] n [ME castrel, fr. MF crecerelle, fr. crecelle rattle; fr. its cry] (15c): any of various small chiefly Old World falcons (genus Falco) that usu. 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