A small falcon with a very distinctive male: grey head, rusty back, and a grey tail ending in a broad black band. The female is browner overall, with clear barring across the back, wings, and tail. Note the fairly pointed wing tips—unlike the rounded wings of Accipiter hawks—and the dark spotting on the breast. It favours open and lightly wooded landscapes such as farmland, grassland, and heath, and is often seen over grassy verges along roads or even around airfields. Frequently perches on wires and fence posts, and typically hunts by hovering, sometimes quite high above the ground. Very similar in appearance to Lesser Kestrel.

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