---
title: "Rock Kestrel"
description: "Falco rupicolus — Uccelli. The rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/rock-kestrel
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Rock Kestrel

> Falco rupicolus — Uccelli. The rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae.

- Scientific name: *Falco rupicolus*
- Category: `birds` (Uccelli)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 3579
- Wikidata: [Q3006153](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3006153)
- iNaturalist taxon: [472764](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/472764)

## Names

- en: Rock Kestrel
- de: Felsenfalke
- es: Cernícalo Africano
- fr: Crécerelle des rochers
- nl: Rotsvalk
- pt: Peneireiro-vulgar
- pl: Pustułka skalna

## Countries with the most observations

ZA (3100), NA (271), AO (36), BW (20), LS (8), MW (7), ZW (3)

## Summary

The rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
This species occurs in Africa, from northwestern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to southern Tanzania, and south to South Africa.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_kestrel

## Photo

![Rock Kestrel](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/rock-kestrel/medium.jpg)

Photo: bdhimes · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/230473000

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/rock-kestrel?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).