Falco naumanni
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kestrel sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 205th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kestrel in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Nyungwe National Park's wettest months, with about 550 mm of rain against 30 mm in July.
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.
21st of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Lesser Kestrel sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 21st at under 5%. The best odds are in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (Mongolia, about 20%), Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 20%) and Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Kestrel is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (9 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.
