Amur falcon
| Amur falcon | ||||||||||||
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Adult male Amur falcon |
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| Falco amurensis | ||||||||||||
| Radde , 1883 |
The amur falcon ( Falco amurensis ) is a small falcon from the subfamily of the real falcon. It is closely related to the red-footed falcon ( Falco vespertinus ). The East Asian species, with its core distribution area on the middle reaches of the Amur, is an extreme long-distance migrant who migrates long distances across the open sea. The species spends the winter months in south-eastern Africa. Amur falcons breed mainly in abandoned crow nests and feed primarily on insects, small vertebrates and birds. The species, of which no subspecies are described, is classified as harmless by the IUCN .
Appearance
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When seated, adult male Amur falcons are very similar to adult males of the red-footed falcon, but their coloration is a little duller overall, the individual color areas contrast less strongly. The upper side is dark slate gray without drawing, the underside of the fuselage light gray, significantly lighter than that of the red-footed falcon. The lower abdomen, the coverts and the legs are fletched rust-brown. In contrast to the red-footed falcon, the under wing-coverts are white, this feature is very noticeable in flight. Wax skin and dark circles are brick red, the legs and toes are light red. The claws are bright.
The upper side of adult females is dark, slate-gray with indistinct darker waves. The head and neck are blackish gray. The throat is yellowish-white, the throat white. A tapering black beard stripe is striking . The wax skin and the dark circles are a little lighter red than in the male. The underside is pale, light brownish-orange in color and has clear black markings arranged in longitudinal rows. The lower tail-coverts, the lower abdomen and the fletching of the legs are washed out light orange. The legs and toes are bright red as in the male. Young birds have a very low-contrast, light gray-brown plumage. Her legs are yellow, and wax skin and dark circles are colored.
In parts of the breeding area and in some wintering regions, Amur falcons and tree falcons occur together. Female, adult Amur falcons are often difficult to distinguish from the same kind of tree falcon. In the female tree falcon, the light-colored plumage on the cheeks, neck and throat are brighter and pure white, while the head and neck color is darker, almost black. The belly plumage is drawn darker rust-brown and distinctly black. The legs and toes of adult females are yellow, with dark circles under the eyes and wax skin of the same color. In addition, the much larger tree falcon differs from the red-footed falcon in the type of flight, which appears much more powerful and straightforward.
Dimensions and body mass
Amur falcons are slightly smaller than red-footed falcons. Their total length is between 26 and 30 centimeters. The wingspan varies between 63 and 71 centimeters. The reverse gender dimorphism is only marginal in terms of size, the sexes differ somewhat more clearly in terms of weight. Females are up to 15 percent heavier than males; the heaviest females weighed 188 grams, the heaviest males 155 grams. Overall, however, the weight varies considerably depending on the season and nutritional status.
habitat
The Amur falcon breeds in open, tree-lined landscapes, whereby the type of tree composition seems to be irrelevant. Preferred habitat are the tree-step areas south of the closed coniferous forest belt of the northern Palearctic ; it also occurs on the edges of closed forests and along river marshes and river valleys. It is not uncommon to find it within the taiga on large clearing islands or on open spaces created by wind breaks or fire. It is above all a breeding bird of the lowlands, which only rarely breeds at altitudes over 1000 meters above sea level. In its wintering areas it can be found in similar habitats as the tree falcon and red-footed falcon; During this time he preferred open grassland with individual trees, tree and thorn grass savannahs, and sometimes cultivated farmland.
distribution
The distribution areas of the Amur falcon adjoin those of the red-footed falcon to the east, but apparently do not overlap with them. The breeding areas of Falco amurensis begin east of Lake Baikal and extend to the Pacific. The core areas of distribution are north and south of the Amur , in northeastern Mongolia south to the Chinese provinces of Shaanxi and Anhui and east to the Ussuri region . To the north, the mountain ranges of the Stanowoj highlands and the Stanowoj mountains limit the deposits. To the southeast, the breeding areas reach the northern parts of North Korea . Completely displaced of it existed (exist?) Breeding occurrences in the state of Assam in northeast India.
Food and subsistence
The food composition of the species and its prey acquisition have not yet been adequately studied, but it can be assumed that they do not differ significantly from that of the red-footed falcon. Adult birds feed mainly on insects such as crickets , grasshoppers and beetles . Occasionally, small birds, small mammals such as gerbils or various representatives of the real mice , as well as amphibians and small reptiles, are preyed on. The young, on the other hand, are fed almost exclusively with vertebrates. In the winter quarters, the species mainly prey on termites , winged ants and grasshoppers.
The Amur falcon usually hunts from perches on trees, stakes, and often from power lines and hits its prey on the ground. Air chases interrupted by phases of shaking can also be observed. The main activity times are the early morning and late afternoon, occasionally it hunts until late at dusk, often in small groups, often together with other species, such as the dollar bird ( Eurystomus orientalis ), a Southeast Asian and Australian whale species .
Breeding biology
Very little is known about the breeding biology of this species. The species breeds in abandoned nests of other bird species, above all of crows (for example the eastern subspecies of the rook ( Corvus frugilegus pastinator )) and of various birds of prey, occasionally also in caves of trees. Like the red-footed falcon, the species is gregarious, but the breeding colonies are much smaller. The Amur falcon often breeds solitary.
The clutch consists of three to four, in exceptional cases up to six eggs. The incubation period is probably between 28 and 30 days. After about a month the young are fully fledged.
hikes
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The Amur falcon is an obligatory long- distance migrant, which covers migration distances of more than 11,000 kilometers when flying to winter quarters. He flies more than half of them over the open sea. Amurfalken form large Zuggemeinschaften, often they are of other small hawks or Racken (for example, European Roller ( Coracias garrulus accompanied)). The species leaves the breeding areas in a south-westerly direction between late August and mid-September. The Himalaya is flown over on its eastern edge, still at heights of up to 5000 meters. On the Indian subcontinent, the broad migratory front narrows , as most of the Amur falcons follow the course of the land mass to the south and only turn back to the southwest very far south to cross the Indian Ocean. Apparently, weather periods with a strong tailwind are often awaited for the flight over the open ocean, so that the distance is covered in about three days. They usually reach Africa north of their wintering areas. They return home on the same route, only some choose a more land-based route via northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula . Occasionally, Amur falcons seem to join red-footed falcons and then move into the central Mediterranean area. The species leaves its winter quarters at the end of February and reaches the breeding grounds at the end of April and beginning of May.
In the wintering areas in southeastern Africa, the Amur falcon leads a nomadic life in large communities. It follows swarms of locusts, rain fronts and steppe fires over a large area. The north-western area of its wintering area overlaps with that of the red-footed falcon, but the two species usually form spatially and species-specifically strictly separate hunting groups.
Systematics
The Amur falcon is a sister species of the red-footed falcon. Previously it was long considered its subspecies Falco vespertinus amurensis Radde , 1863. Clear morphological differences, especially in the plumage of the females, but also biological differences led to the currently valid taxonomic assessment. No subspecies are described.
Persistence and Threat
Exact stock information and stock assessments are not available. The IUCN currently sees the population of this falcon species as not endangered ( LC = least concern ). Ferguson-Lees estimates the total population to be over 100,000 breeding pairs. The Amur falcon seems to be not uncommon, especially southeast of Lake Baikal and in parts of Mongolia. Since part of the total population breeds in agriculturally used areas, it is affected by habitat destruction and biocide input. In Nagaland , thousands of Amur falcons are caught alive on the autumn migration every year and sold for food. However, there are international efforts to contain this in the future or to turn it off completely. Furthermore, for such an extreme long-distance migrant, the train itself is associated with a very high risk; In the wintering areas, the intensive control of the swarms of locusts in particular has led to a deterioration in the food base.
literature
- James Ferguson-Lees , David A. Christie : Raptors of the World. Houghton-Mifflin Company, Boston / New York 2001, ISBN 0-618-12762-3 , pp. 867-869; Plate 99 (p. 276).
- J. Orta, GM Kirwan and JS Marks: Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) . In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, DA & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (accessed from https://www.hbw.com/node/53227 on July 12, 2019).
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Falco amurensis in the Internet Bird Collection
Individual evidence
- ^ BirdLife International. 2015. Falco amurensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T22696437A80193865. doi: 10.2305 / IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T22696437A80193865.en
- ^ A. Birand, S. Pawar: An ornithological survey in north-east India. ( Memento from December 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 187 kB). In: Forktail. 20, 2004, pp. 15–24 (possible occurrences in Assam)
- ^ Peter Berthold : Bird migration. A current overview . Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2000, ISBN 3-534-13656-X , p. 17.
- ↑ J. Orta, GM Kirwan, P. Boesman, JS Marks: Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016. (accessed from http://www.hbw.com/node/53227 on October 6, 2016).
- ↑ J. Orta, GM Kirwan, P. Boesman, JS Marks: Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016. (accessed from http://www.hbw.com/node/53227 on July 12, 2019)
- ↑ Falco amurensis in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2017-3. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ Ferguson-Lees & Christie (2001)
- ↑ J. Orta, GM Kirwan, P. Boesman, JS Marks: Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016. (accessed from http://www.hbw.com/node/53227 on October 6, 2016).
- ↑ J. Orta, GM Kirwan, P. Boesman, JS Marks: Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, DA Christie, E. de Juana (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016. (accessed from http://www.hbw.com/node/53227 on October 6, 2016).