kestrel
kestrel — 名詞
1. a small bird of prey that stays in one place in the air high above the ground wh
紅隼
一種小型獵鷹
a small bird of prey that stays in one place in the air high above the ground while it looks for small animals such as mice and insects to eat
Mei spotted a kestrel hovering above the field near her school.
Mei 在學校附近的田野上空看到一隻盤旋的紅隼。
hovering above [place] — typical hunting behaviour
The kestrel sat on the fence post and watched for mice in the grass below.
那隻紅隼停在籬笆柱上，盯著下方草叢中的老鼠。
sat on [perch] + watched for [prey]
Kenji watched a kestrel through his binoculars as it hung still in the wind.
Kenji 用望遠鏡看著一隻紅隼在風中靜止不動地懸停。
Farmers often see kestrels hunting along the edges of their wheat fields.
農夫經常在小麥田邊看到紅隼在捕獵。
A kestrel flew low over the grass and came back up with a cricket.
一隻紅隼低飛過草地，回來時嘴裡叼著一隻蟋蟀。
- falcon
a more general term; all kestrels are falcons, but not all falcons are kestrels — falcons include larger species like the peregrine
- hawk
informally used for any small bird of prey, but technically hawks are a different family of birds with broader wings
- windhover
an old poetic name for the common kestrel, referring to its ability to hover in the wind
用法筆記
Often used when a learner is describing birds they see in open countryside or along roadsides. The word 'hover' is the verb most commonly associated with kestrels because of their unique hunting style.