1.NounThe American kestrel or American sparrowhawk (Falco sparverius), a small falcon found in North and South America that preys on grasshoppers and small animals.
2.NounAlternative form of sparrowhawk; the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), a small, short-winged European hawk and other similar Old World hawks in the subfamily Accipitrinae, that prey on smaller birds.