Graybeard falcon
| Graybeard falcon | ||||||||||||
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Graybeard falcon |
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| Falco cenchroides | ||||||||||||
| Vigors & Horsfield , 1827 |
The greybeard falcon ( Falco cenchroides ) is a bird art from the family of Falk-like (Falconidae). It inhabits Australia and some offshore islands and is also found in a very limited area in New Guinea . The gray bearded falcon is very similar in behavior and appearance to the kestrel native to Central Europe .
Appearance
The gray-bearded falcon is generally very similar to the kestrel. He is with a body length of 28-35 cm and a wingspan of 66-78 cm as big as this one. Females are slightly larger and heavier than males, females of the nominate form have a wing length of 248–275 mm and weigh between 115 and 273 g, the wing length of the male is 231–260 mm and the weight between 121 and 195 g.
As with the kestrel, the sexes show a clear dimorphism in terms of coloration and drawing. In the male, the back and the upper wing-coverts are almost monochrome red-brown and only slightly blackish spotted. The underside of the trunk and the under wing-coverts are white, the chest is finely dashed dark. The head is pale gray on top and on the sides and shows a narrow, black streak of beard; the tail is also pale gray with a wide, black subterminal band and a narrow white end band.
In the female, the head and upper side are intensely black spotted and dashed on a warm brown background, the tail, which is also brown, is tightly cross-banded with dark, and also shows a black subterminal band and a narrow white end band at the end. Underside of the trunk and the under wing-coverts are whitish to pale rust-colored, the breast is usually a little more dotted than in the male.
In both sexes, the wings on the outer flags are black-brown, the inner flags are light and dark banded. The iris is brown, the wax skin and legs are yellow, the claws are black.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area covers almost all of Australia , the species is only absent as a breeding bird in northernmost Queensland . It is also found isolated in the Snow Mountains of New Guinea and on some islands around Australia.
The gray-bearded falcon inhabits open landscapes of all kinds, from heavily loosened forests and coastal dunes to agricultural areas and urban green spaces and fallow land.
nutrition
The species, like the kestrel, uses a wide range of small vertebrates and also often eats large insects and other invertebrates . The main food is small birds, especially the starlings , mice and small lizards that are naturalized in Australia . The hunting method corresponds to that of the kestrel; the prey is sought either from the hide (e.g. on a dead tree or a telephone pole) or from a 30 m high shaking flight and then caught in a dive on the ground. Occasionally, insects are hunted in the air or flying birds are captured.
Reproduction
Tree hollows, rock niches or bands, building niches and abandoned crow nests are used for breeding. The eggs are laid in the south of Australia in spring (September to December), in the north in the dry season (July to February). The clutch consists of one to six, usually three to five eggs. The young birds hatch after 26 to 29 days and fly out at 28 to 35 days. The young birds leave their parents' territory about three weeks after they leave.
hikes
Like many Australian birds, the gray-bearded falcon does not migrate regularly and in a directional manner, but rather wander around the entire continent in a more or less extensive and non-directional manner. These migrations are apparently mainly triggered by changes in the local food supply as a result of dry seasons, heavy rainfall, gradations of prey and the like.
Existence and endangerment
The world population is roughly estimated at 750,000 to 1,000,000 breeding pairs. The species has proven to be very adaptable and has rather benefited from the landscape changes caused by humans in Australia, the IUCN therefore classifies it as 
(= least concern - not endangered).
literature
- J. Ferguson-Lees, DA Christie: Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London 2001, ISBN 0-7136-8026-1
Web links
- Falco cenchroides in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed October 13 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Falco cenchroides in the Internet Bird Collection