The genus name derives from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird,[4] and the species name commemorates the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Naumann.

Considering that the lesser kestrel would in fact have an advantage if some would-be predators confused it with the larger species and consequently avoided it, it might be a case of Müllerian mimicry.

On their wintering grounds in West Africa, lesser kestrels favor a "latitude belt"[8] through Senegal where locusts and grasshoppers are plentiful.

Surveys of lesser kestrels wintering in January 2007 by the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux revealed them roosting communally.

[1] Apart from possible habitat destruction, it appears that indiscriminate use of pesticides has a strong effect on this species due to its insectivorous habits.