'Kestrel' definitions:

Definition of 'kestrel'

noun

Small North American falcon [syn: sparrow hawk, American kestrel, kestrel, Falco sparverius]

noun

Small Old World falcon that hovers in the air against a wind [syn: kestrel, Falco tinnunculus]

From: GCIDE

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]