Silver hawk
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Silver falcon ( Falco hypoleucos ) |
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| Gould , 1841 |
The silver falcon ( Falco hypoleucos ) is a rare, medium-sized bird from the falcon-like family (Falconidae). He lives in arid and semi-arid areas of Australia.
description
Silver falcons are medium-sized, stocky falcons. With a body length of 33 to 43 cm, they are slightly larger than the small colored falcons and slightly smaller than the females of the peregrine falcon . Male animals have a wingspan of 75 to 85 cm, females 95 to 100 cm. It has long, pointed wings, its beak is short and powerful and has a pronounced falcon tooth on each side. The silver falcon is mostly gray in color at any age and has fine dotted lines that can only be seen up close. Its upper side is blue-gray, the underside whitish gray, throat and lower rump are white. The top of the head is a little darker. The hand wings are blackish, the control feathers gray and finely banded with a broad, darker subterminal band and whitish tips.
The falcon's iris is brown. In adult animals, the nasal wax skin and the bare skin around the eyes and the beak are orange-yellow, in young animals the nasal wax skin and the bare skin around the eyes are blue-gray. The legs of adult silver falcons are bright yellow, those of juveniles duller.
distribution
The silver hawk is common in arid and semi-arid parts of Australia including the Murray-Darling Basin , the Lake Eyre catchment , Central Australia and Western Australia . It mainly lives in areas with an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm. Immature birds seem to regularly migrate to northern and coastal areas outside of the breeding season. In Western Australia the silver hawk does not occur south of 26 ° latitude , in the state of Victoria it is an extremely rare wanderer .
Habitat and way of life
Silver falcons live in semi-deserts , grasslands and scrub and in the trees on river banks. They occur at altitudes up to 1000 m in arid areas and sometimes in humid, open terrain.
Reproduction
Its nests are located at heights of 9 to 26 meters. However, it often takes over abandoned nests from other species (e.g. from crows or birds of prey) and upholstery them with soft material. The clutch consists of 2–4 eggs. The incubation period is 35 days and the nestling period is 41–52 days.
nutrition
Silver hawks feed on birds, mainly pigeons and parrots, small mammals , lizards, and large insects. Even Aas is eaten. Silver falcons hunt in fast, low flight or glide from a perch to prey on food on the ground.
Existence and endangerment
The distribution area of the silver falcon is very large, but the population density is very low. The population is estimated to be fewer than 1,000 sexually mature birds. Its habitat and its nesting sites are threatened by overgrazing and the clearing of open forests. The availability of nesting sites, particularly in the interior of the country with few trees, could be a limiting factor for the population, especially where introduced grazing prevents the trees from regenerating. Its eggs are in demand by egg collectors. Eggs and young birds may be harvested for falconry . The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has now classified the species as endangered again (Vulnerable, VU).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e David A. Christie, James Ferguson-Lees: Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm Publishers, 2001, ISBN 978-0713680263 , pp. 282, 892.
- ↑ Stephen T. Garnett, Judit K. Szabo, Guy Dutson: The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. Csiro Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-0643103689 , pp. 149-150.
- ↑ a b c d Falco hypoleucos in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2011.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ↑ a b Stephen Debus: Birds of Prey of Australia: A Field Guide. Csiro Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-0643104365 , pp. 133-135.
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Gray Falcon (Falco hypoleucos) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Silver falcon ( Falco hypoleucos ) at Avibase