Banded Kestrel on the lookout in Spiny Forest, Madagascar

The Banded Kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and is also known as the Madagascar Banded Kestrel, Barred Kestrel or Madagascar Barred Kestrel. Its closest relatives are the Grey Kestrel and Dickinson's Kestrel of mainland Africa and the three are sometimes placed in the subgenus ''Dissodectes''.

It is 27–30 cm long with a wingspan of 60–68 cm. The upperparts are grey and the tail is dark. The underparts are whitish.. more