The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a small falcon. This bird was formerly known in North America as the Sparrow Hawk. This name was misleading because it implied a connection with the Old World Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated - the latter is a hawk rather than a falcon. ---------------------------------------------------- American Kestrels are widely distributed across the Americas. Their breeding range extends from central and western Alaska across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America, into central Mexico, the Baja, and the Caribbean. They are local breeders in Central America and are widely distributed throughout South America. -------------------------------------------------- Most of the birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate south in the winter, although some males stay as year-round residents. ------------------------------------ This small falcon species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.