The pale belly is washed with orange and pleasantly spotted with small, black polka dots.įemales are rusty orange above with black barring on the wings and tail. The tail is also rusty orange with black tips. Males have grey-blue wings and a rusty orange back with black barring. American Kestrel Image: bemtec | Īmerican Kestrels-the smallest falcon in North America-also happen to be the most colorful. Ok, enough chit-chat… let’s take a look at the 4 types of falcons you’ll find in the state of Florida! 1. Most falcons hunt early in the morning and late in the evenings-the same times as the morning and evening choruses of songbirds and the hours they are most active. Their wicked fast speeds are nearly impossible to outfly. They pursue them from behind, sometimes forcing them way up into the sky to tire them out, and then diving down on the weary bird. The 4 species of falcons in Floridaįalcons are often thought to be related to other birds of prey, such as hawks, but recent genetic studies show that they share a very close relation to parrots, and both falcons and parrots share a common ancestor with songbirds! Taxonomy and evolution is a weird world, isn’t it?ĭespite their relation to songbirds, falcons often eat them by taking them in flight. There is much crossbreeding in the falconry world, which makes it difficult to identify escaped birds.
They were historically used by royalty, and even today are still very expensive, costing thousands of dollars. They are excellent fliers and predators, making them a formidable bird of prey.īecause of their speed and excellent predation skills, falcons have long since been used by humans for hunting, thus the birth of the term and sport, falconry. The term “falcon” comes from the word “falcate”, meaning sickle-shaped, which describes their pointed wing silhouettes. Hopefully you will gain insight to identifying them and learn some fun facts! (Don’t worry, there won’t be any crossbred birds here.)įalcons are recognized by their pointed wings, strong chests, and hooked bills. Only international cooperation from organizations and governments working together will help preserve these species as they become increasingly vulnerable.In this article, we’ll discuss the species of falcons in Florida. Besides this, the birds are prone to habitat loss from agricultural practices and land reclamation. The Amur Falcon exemplifies the threat of illegal trapping and killing during migration, which harms countless bird species each year. This prompted a swift response from the Indian Government and the Nagaland Forest Department, which used patrols and education initiatives for villagers as a means to halt trapping. In 2012 an estimated 120,000 to 140,000 birds were trapped in nets and killed while passing through a remote part of the Indian Nagaland region. It is supposed that the falcons cross the Arabian Sea during their migration, but much is still unknown about the patterns of their estimated 22,000 km migration.īecause of the long journey, stopover sites are important for Amur Falcons to maintain stamina. Every year, the small, resilient birds make the daring voyage from breeding grounds in Russia and China to winter in southern Africa. The Amur Falcon is a fascinating migratory raptor.
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