kestrel
- n small North American falcon
- n small Old World falcon that hovers in the air against a wind
- The lesser kestrel, a small red, black and gray bird of prey, is more hawk than dove.
- Every king had his eagles, every earl his peregrines, and even a knave might fly a kestrel.
- Afflicted with a moral numbness, he now hovers like a kestrel over scenes of potential folly.