A gray, kestrel-sized falcon with long slender wings and a long, barred tail. Adult male: Slate-gray upperparts with gray underparts, darker on the face, orange eyering. Bill is mostly orange or yellow-orange with a dark tip. Rusty orange-brown undertail coverts extend onto lower belly. Red feet. Adult female: Buffy-orange underparts with thin streaking. Slate-gray back and wings with horizontal black barring. Pale brownish head with white throat and sides of neck. Black around eye and mustache. Juvenile: Somewhat similar to female, but back is browner with pale-edged feathers.

Length: 29 (cm) Wingspan: 72 (cm)

Habitat:

Breeds in sand dunes, fields and other open areas; winters in dry grasslands and savannas.

Behavior:

Snatches insects midair or hovers in search of prey on the ground. Often travels at high altitudes. May gather in flocks in staging areas.

Feeding:

Feeds on grasshoppers and other insects, frogs, small mammals, and small birds.