Nankeen Kestrel

Falco cenchroides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827

Nankeen Kestrel, Falco cenchroides, is a falcon of Australasia, breeding in western New Guinea’s mountains, Australia, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is a small, slim bird, and its most useful field mark is the way it hovers over crop and grassland. It also hunts from exposed perches. The species was first described by Vigors and Horsfield in 1827. It is found in open country rather than dense vegetation, and in Australia it is a familiar raptor of grasslands and open woodland.

Order

Falconiformes

Family

Falconidae — Caracaras, Falcons

Breeding range

Australasia: wc New Guinean mts., Australia and Tasmania, Lord Howe and Norfolk is. (e of Australia)