Falco naumanni
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to India and Iraq. It is rare north of its breeding range, and declining in its European range. The genus name derives from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird, and the species name commemorates the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Naumann.
It is a small bird of prey, 27–33 cm (11–13 in) in length with a 63–72 cm (25–28 in) wingspan. It looks very much like the larger common kestrel but has proportionally shorter wings and tail. It shares a brown back and barred grey underparts with the larger species. The male has a grey head and tail like male common kestrels, but lacks the dark spotting on the back, the black malar stripe, and has grey patches in the wings.
The female and young birds are slightly paler than their relative, but are so similar that call and structure are better guides than plumage. The call is a diagnostic harsh chay-chay-chay, unlike the common kestrel's kee-kee-kee. Neither sex has... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 2 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 15 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 16 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 18 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 19 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 20 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 21 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 22 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 23 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 24 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Zoo Aquarium de Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Wolfcenter Barme | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Ferme de Bouzigues | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kestrel sighting in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park on a given day, based on 72 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 122 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kestrel in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, September and December, the lowest months. January–April and October–November have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Kestrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Lesser Kestrel sightings, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 20%) and Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%).
Same genus: Falco
The closest relatives of the Lesser Kestrel that you can see in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (genus Falco, Typical Falcons) are Saker Falcon (about 40%) and Common Kestrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Kestrel is recorded against all the birds logged in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (72 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
