kestrel

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

kestrel
    n 1: small North American falcon [syn: {sparrow hawk}, {American
         kestrel}, {kestrel}, {Falco sparverius}]
    2: small Old World falcon that hovers in the air against a wind
       [syn: {kestrel}, {Falco tinnunculus}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Kestrel \Kes"trel\ (k[e^]s"tr[e^]l), n. [See {Castrel}.] (Zool.)
   A small, slender European hawk ({Falco alaudarius}), allied
   to the sparrow hawk. Its color is reddish fawn, streaked and
   spotted with white and black. Also called {windhover} and
   {stannel}. The name is also applied to other allied species.
   [1913 Webster]

   Note: This word is often used in contempt, as of a mean kind
         of hawk. "Kites and kestrels have a resemblance with
         hawks." --Bacon.
         [1913 Webster]