Aplomado falcon
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Aplomado falcon ( Falco femoralis ) |
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| Falco femoralis | ||||||||||||
| Temminck , 1822 |
The aplomado falcon ( Falco femoralis ) is a medium-sized member of the falcon genus . The species, which is particularly widespread in Central and South America , was first described in 1822 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck . The term aplomado comes from Spanish and describes the lead-gray color of part of the plumage of the aplomado falcon , which can be used to distinguish it from other species.
description
Aplomado falcons reach a size of around 35 to 45 cm when fully grown, with a wingspan of 78 to 102 cm, making them slightly larger than related species such as the merlin or the great spotted falcon , which have a similar geographic range. Female representatives of the species tend to be slightly larger than their male counterparts. The plumage of adult specimens is colored gray on the back and head, a characteristic band in the same color runs across the chest, which is otherwise colored white in the upper area. More white bands run from the eyes to the back of the head. The belly of the animals, however, is cinnamon colored. The long tail feathers of the birds are a little darker than on the back and tend to turn brown. Feet, eye rims and wax skin have a conspicuous yellow color, the strong beak is colored steel gray.
behavior
Aplomado falcons are birds of prey that primarily hunt smaller birds and insects. The hunt typically starts from a hide and is then continued at low altitude and at high speed in a straight flight line towards the target. The prey is either beaten in flight or forced to the ground, where the pursuit is partially continued on foot if the prey withdraws into denser vegetation. There are regular reports of cooperative hunts in which couples support each other. Aplomado hawks are also known for their opportunistic behavior and often steal prey from other birds. It is known of Brazilian aplomado falcons that some of them follow maned wolves on their forays and prey on birds that are startled by the wolves.
The animals can reach an age of more than six years. In addition, there are migratory birds in the entire range , which can cover large distances during migration.
Female aplomado falcons lay two to three eggs during the breeding season. However, the birds do not build their own nests, but instead take over nests built by ravens or other birds of prey (including red-tailed buzzards , desert buzzards and white-tailed paws ). These typically consist of sticks and other woody plant material and can be found on Torrey palm lilies , honey mesquites or on overhead line masts , for example .
The call of the aplomado hawk is described as a loud keeh - keeh - keeh followed by a single sharp kiih .
Spread and endangerment
The aplomado hawk prefers savannahs and sparsely forested grasslands or swamps to semi-deserts with a semi-arid climate , where it has been sighted at altitudes of around 4600 meters. The range originally extended over large parts of South and Central America, but today the species has disappeared from many regions. In Mexico , for example, the aplomado falcon is only found along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico across the Yucatán Peninsula and in the northern part of the Chihuahua Desert . Between 1994 and 2002 the birds were also officially “endangered” here, but since then have only had the status of “Subject to Special Protection”, which is granted in Mexico to species that could be potentially endangered in the future. Since the 1990s, there have also been increasing reports of sightings in the American state of New Mexico , where the species had become rare since the 1930s. There are active attempts to reintroduce the aplomado falcon in the United States. The IUCN currently classifies the species as not endangered (status least concern ) despite a generally negative population trend . Potential predators of the aplomado falcon include great horned owls , white-necked ravens , coyotes and bobcats . Human-made threats to the species are primarily habitat loss and the use of pesticides ; historically, egg collection and direct hunting have also posed a threat.
Systematics
In addition to the nominated form F. f. femoralis two further subspecies of the aplomado falcon are considered valid, which differ in terms of their geographical distribution:
- F. f. femoralis Temminck , 1822; South and Central America
- F. f. pichinchae Todd , 1916; western south america
- F. f. septentrionalis Chapman , 1925; southwestern United States to Nicaragua
falconry
Aplomado falcons of the subspecies F. f. pichinchae are particularly popular for scavenging in the United States , where they are used for direct tracking of flying prey. Specimens trained accordingly are considered intelligent and have good social behavior; their hunting instinct is described as persistent and aggressive. In most states, however, the keeping of aplomado hawks is only permitted for falconers with the necessary evidence.
literature
- Kendall E. Young, Quinn H. Young: Raptors of New Mexico . Ed .: Jean-Luc E. Cartron. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM 2010, ISBN 978-0-8263-4145-7 ( limited preview in Google Book Search). see chapter 24: Aplomado falcon ( Falco femoralis )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leandro Silveira, Anah TA Jácomo, Flávio HG Rodrigues, Peter G. Crawshaw jr .: Hunting Association Between the Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis) and the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in Emas National Park, Central Brazil . In: The Condor . tape 99 , no. 1 , 1997, p. 201-202 , doi : 10.2307 / 1370238 .
- ↑ a b c Falco femoralis. In: iucnredlist.org. BirdLife International, 2018, accessed October 9, 2019 .
- ^ A b Steve NG Howell, Sophie Webb: A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America . 7th edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-854012-0 , pp. 116-117 .
- ^ Hunting Technique. In: aplomadofalcons.com. Retrieved October 9, 2019 .