sparrow hawk

noun

The American kestrel or American sparrowhawk (Falco sparverius), a small falcon found in North and South America that preys on grasshoppers and small animals.

Similar
American kestrelkestrelFalco sparveriusAccipiter nisus
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Meanings

nounsparrow hawk (plural sparrow hawks)

plural sparrow hawks · alternative sparrow-hawk · alternative sparrowhawk

  1. The American kestrel or American sparrowhawk (Falco sparverius), a small falcon found in North and South America that preys on grasshoppers and small animals.
  2. alternativeAlternative 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.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsmall North American falcon

Similar
American kestrelkestrelFalco sparverius
Broader
falcon

nounsmall hawk of Eurasia and northern Africa

Similar
Accipiter nisus
Broader
hawk
Also see
american kestrelkestrel

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

sparrow hawk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20hawk

MLA

“sparrow hawk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20hawk. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sparrow hawk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrow%20hawk.

Source: sparrow hawk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.