The smallest of the falcon subspecies are the Kestrels, and of all of them, the American kestrel, or the sparrow hawk, is the smallest. Pretty ruthless, isn’t it? How Big Are Falcons? Something unique about the falcon species is that they all have what we call a tomial tooth which is a groove in their beak that helps them kill their prey by breaking the animal’s neck. Something they typically have in common, however, is that they have long, pointed wings, sharp curved beaks, and powerful talons, which are claws on their feet that help them catch their prey. Physical AppearanceĪs you now know that there are dozens of falcon subspecies I’m sure you can imagine that they all range in size, shape, and color. MerlinĪmerican kestrels, or sparrow hawks, are a popular falcon species throughout central and western Alaska, Canada, North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and although they’re the smallest falcon species, they don’t let their size stop them. They made their way off of the endangered list in 1999, and thanks to being protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, their numbers have continued to rise to make them one of the most widespread species of falcon all over the world. Although just after World War 2, Peregrines were nearly wiped out due to DDT pesticides. Peregrine falcons are native to northwest America and are known for their incredible speed, agility, and impressive success rates when it comes to hunting prey. Some of the most common falcon species include the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), the Merlin (Falco columbarius), and the American kestrel (Falco sparverius.) Peregrine Falcon The final group, which sometimes falls under the Peregrine group, is the Hierofalcons which have feathers that are red or brown and strong patterns throughout their plumage. I think it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t want to be any other bird species living in an area where Peregrine falcons do I can’t say I would. The most well-known falcon group is the Peregrine falcon and its close relatives, which are powerful, fast, and truly impressive.įalcons in the Peregrine and relatives group have black feathers down the sides of their heads, as well as medium grey and light brown feathers along their backs, and are more patterned than the smaller falcon species.įalcons in this group feed on mid-sized birds that they snatch straight out of the sky. Hobbies are slightly larger than their Kestrel cousins, and you can easily tell them apart as they have dark slate-gray feathers in their plumage and black feathers down the sides of their heads, just below their eyes. Kestrels are the smallest falcon subspecies that typically sport brown or gray feathers along their backs and feed on small rodents, insects, and reptiles. There are roughly 40 subspecies under the falcon species, and although falcons all fall under the same genus title Falco, we can actually separate the subspecies into three or four distinctive groups, the Kestrels, the Hobbies and relatives, the Peregrine falcon and its relatives, and the Hierofalcons. However, other people believe that male falcons originally got the name third because they’re one-third smaller than female falcons. Male falcons got the names tercel and tiercel because people once believed that of all the eggs a female falcon laid, only one in every three would be a male. Falcons get their genus name, Falco, from the Late Latin words falx and falcis, which simply refer to the bird’s long and curved claws.Īlthough you may just know falcons as falcons, males actually have their own name, tercel or tiercel, which comes from the Latin word tertius, meaning third. The falcon is a bird of prey that belongs to the genus Falco which a Swedish naturalist first introduced in 1758. ![]() Paleontologists have found falcon fossils dating back less than 10 million years ago, and although that seems like an incredibly long time, other birds of prey date back even further.īy considering the locations where scientists found the fossils, they believe that the falcon originally came from North America, Africa, the Middle East, or Europe however, pinpointing exactly where the species came from is a much harder task than it seems.īeing a bird of prey, you’d think that falcons were most closely related to other birds of prey, like eagles, ospreys, or hawks, right? Well, actually, the falcon’s nearest relatives are songbirds and parrots, which is strange because these species have very different diets, behaviors, and habitats. Growing up in the UK, we don’t really see many predatory birds, so seeing a falcon swopping and clawing onto its prey mid-air really is an impressive sight to see.įalcons live in areas all over the planet, and from the small American kestrel to the massive Gyrfalcon, all falcons are a spectacular work of nature, and they deserve to be spoken about. I’ve seen a few falcons in my time, and my dad particularly likes to spot them out with his binoculars in hand.
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