American Kestrel - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Until the sixth edition of the AOU Checklist of North American Birds was published by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1983, the most commonly used name for the American Kestrel was the Sparrow Hawk or Sparrowhawk. This was due to a mistaken connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk in the genus Accipiter. The sixth edition of the AOU Checklist corrected this, officially renaming the bird American Kestrel. Several other colloquial names for the kestrel are also in use, including Grasshopper Hawk, due to its diet, and Killy Hawk, due to its distinct call.

The American Kestrel's scientific name, Falco sparverius, was given by Carolus Linnaeus in his 18th century work Systema Naturae. The genus refers to the falcate, or hooked, shape of the beak, and the specific name means "pertaining to a sparrow", referring to the bird's small size and occasional hunting of sparrows.

Seventeen subspecies of the American Kestrel are recognized, generally based upon plumage, size, and vocalizations:

• F. s. sparverius, described by Linnaeus in 1758, is the nominate subspecies. It is found in most of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• F. s. paulus, described by Howe and King in 1902, is found in the Southeast United States, from Louisiana to Florida.
• F. s. peninsularis, described by Mearns in 1892, is found in southern Baja California.
• F. s. tropicalis, described by Griscom in 1930, is found from southern Mexico to northern Honduras.
• F. s. nicaraguensis, described by Howell in 1965, is found in Honduras and Nicaragua.
• F. s. sparveroides, described by Vigors in 1827, is found in Cuba and the Isle of Youth, and southern to central Bahamas.
• F. s. dominicensis, described by Gmelin in 1788, is found in Hispaniola.
• F. s. caribaearum, described by Gmelin in 1788, is found in Puerto Rico through the Lesser Antilles to Grenada.
• F. s. brevipennis, described by Berlepsch in 1892, is found in the Netherlands Antilles.
• F. s. isabellinus, described by Swainson in 1837, is found from Venezuela to northern Brazil.
• F. s. ochraceus, described by Cory in 1915, is found in eastern Colombia and northwest Venezuela.
• F. s. caucae, described by Chapman in 1915, is found in western Colombia.
• F. s. aequatorialis, described by Mearns in 1892, is found in northern Ecuador.
• F. s. peruvianus, described by Cory in 1915, is found in southwest Ecuador, Peru, and northern Chile.
• F. s. fernandensis, described by Chapman in 1915, is found on the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile.
• F. s. cinnamominu, described by Swainson in 1837, is found in Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
• F. s. cearae, described by Cory in 1915, is found from northeast Brazil south to eastern Bolivia.