Red-necked hawk
| Red-necked hawk | ||||||||||||
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Red-necked Falcon |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Falco chicquera | ||||||||||||
| Daudin , 1800 |
The red-necked falcon ( Falco chicquera ) is a medium-sized species from the genus of the falcon . Red-necked falcons reach a body length of 30 to 36 centimeters. Their wingspan is 85 centimeters.
Its extensive distribution area extends from India to the Sahara of Africa . It lives in semi-deserts , savannahs and other arid areas that have at least some trees. However, it can also be found in forests near rivers. As is typical for falcons, they use former crows' nests as a nesting opportunity or build their nests in the crowns of certain African palm trees.
The red-necked falcon often hunts from a waiting area. Its prey includes other species of birds , bats and large insects , which it captures in rapid flight. It is most active at dusk and prefers to hunt below the treetops.
Adult birds of the African subspecies have white feathered faces. The top of the body is a pale gray. The tip of the tail and the wings of the hand are black. The underside of the body is white and banded dark on the underside of the wings, the lower chest, the abdomen and the underside of the tail. Legs and the eye ring are yellow. The Indian subspecies differs from the African mainly by a less pronounced banding.
literature
- Clive Barlow, Tim Wacher: A Field Guide to Birds of the Gambia and Senegal. Pica Press, Mountfield 1997, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
- Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp: Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Christopher Helm, London 1998, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
Web links
- Falco chicquera inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2013.