kestrel
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
kestrel/ˈkestrəl/
▶noun a small falcon that hunts by hovering with rapidly beating wings. [Falco tinnunculus (Eurasia and Africa), F. sparverius (N. America), and other species.]
– origin ME castrel, perh. from casserelle, dial. var. of OFr. crecerelle, perh. imitative of its call.
'kestrel' also found in these Oxford entries:
