Lesser Kestrel

Lesser Kestrel
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Falco naumanni

Malay Name: Rajawali-Padang Cakar Pudar

Chinese Name: 黄爪隼

Range: Found from northwestern Africa, southern Europe, temperate Asia, Middle-East, northern China to southern Siberia and winters to sub-Saharan Africa and rarely to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 29-32 cm

Identification: Male resembles Common Kestrel but has plain bluish grey crown/nape/head-sides, plain rufous-chestnut mantle and median coverts and plainer vinous-tinged warm buff underparts with fewer, rounder markings. Female also resembles Common Kestrel but has indistinct moustachial/cheek stripe and no dark line behind eye. Subadult male resembles adult male but may show some dark bars on upperwing coverts and uppertail.

Similar looking species: Common Kestrel

Habitat: Open country, reclaimed land and grasslands.

Behaviour/Ecology:

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Early date 04 Jan 2001
Late date 18 Mar 2010
Bar chart not displayed for this species; no records in the given time period.
Two confirmed records for Singapore, both from Changi, in 2001 and 2010. Difficult to separate from the more common Common Kestrel.
Subadult male Lesser Kestrel at Changi Cove. Photo Credit: Nicholas Tan
Male Lesser Kestrel at Southern Spain. Photo Credit: Pete Blanchard.
Female Lesser Kestrel at Southern Spain. Photo Credit: Pete Blanchard.
Subadult male Lesser Kestrel at Changi Cove. Photo Credit: Nicholas Tan
Subadult male Lesser Kestrel at Changi Cove. Photo Credit: Nicholas Tan

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Lesser Kestrel)

References:

BirdLife International. (2021). Falco naumanni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696357A205768513.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.

Lim, K. S. (2009). The Avifauna of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore).

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Lesser Kestrel. Retrieved on May 17, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/lesser-kestrel.

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