Prairie falcon

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Prairie falcon
Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)

Prairie falcon ( Falco mexicanus )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Falk-like (falconiformes)
Family : Falconies (Falconidae)
Subfamily : True falcon (Falconinae)
Genre : Falcon ( falco )
Type : Prairie falcon
Scientific name
Falco mexicanus
Schlegel , 1850

The prairie falcon ( Falco mexicanus ) is a medium-sized species of falcon that is native to western North America.

Appearance

The size of the prairie falcon resembles a peregrine falcon or a crow. They reach an average body length of 40 centimeters and have a wingspan of one meter. Their weight is about 700 grams. As is common with falcons, the female is significantly larger than the male.

The body plumage of adult birds is gray-brown on top. On the underside of the body, the plumage is lighter and shows more or less dark spots. The hand wings are darkest, the outer tail feathers the lightest. On the head there is a white line above the eyes. Prairie falcons differ from peregrine falcons, among other things, in their tail, which is significantly longer in proportion to their body. Your flight looks a little less elegant and agile.

Distribution area

Prairie falcons breed from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta to British Columbia and the western part of the United States. They are also breeding birds of Mexico . Unlike other North American falcons, their migration behavior is less pronounced. Only the northernmost breeding birds leave their breeding areas and overwinter in the deserts and coastal areas from California to Baja California .

habitat

Prairie falcons are birds that mainly live in open landscapes. They prefer arid areas that range from alpine tundras to short-grass prairie areas and distinct desert areas . During their breeding season, they stay near rocky regions where they nest on rocky slopes. Outside of these times, they are less demanding in terms of their habitat and are occasionally even observed in cities.

Duration

The number of North American birds is estimated to be around 5,000 breeding pairs.

literature

  • Pete Dunne, David Sibley, Clay Sutton: Hawks in Flight. 1989, ISBN 0-395-51022-8 .
  • Steve NG Howell, Sophie Webb: A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. 1994, ISBN 0-19-854012-4 .
  • David Sibley: The Sibley Guide to Birds. 2000, ISBN 0-679-45122-6 .

Web links

Commons : Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files