- Falco femoralis
Identification:
Length 15-18" (38-45.5 cm), wingspan 40-48" (102-122 cm).
Like a small, long-tailed, boldly patterned Peregrine Falcon with white trailing edge on inner flight feathers.
Adult blue-grey above, with bold "moustache" on face, white eyebrow, and black stripe through eye. Nape rusty; throat white; upper breast buff with heavy streaks; lower breast and flanks black; thighs and belly cinnamon.
Young birds brown above, streaked on breast, plain brown on flanks.
Distribution
Mexico through Central America, and South America to Terra del Fuego. Aplomado Falcon is extinct in its range of the USA which included parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona; The Peregrine Fund is reintroducing the species[1].
Taxonomy
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Northwest of Laguna Vista, Cameron County, Texas, USA, November 2009
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[2];
- F. f. septentrionalis:
- F. f. femoralis:
- Nicaragua and Belize through South America to Tierra del Fuego
- F. f. pichinchae:
Habitat
The Aplomado Falcon inhabits partially open areas such as savanna, shrub-land, grassland with nearby trees, etc. from lowlands to above the treeline. Coastal plains and wetlands
Behaviour
Diet
Aplomado Falcons feed on birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects. They often hunt from a perch such as a low bush or fence post up to a tall cactus or telephone pole. From there, it will approach prey in low flight. Often attracted to fires where prey are easy.
Vocalisation
A rapid series of sounds described in different sources with different lettering, but described as having a whistled quality.
References
- The Peregrine Fund
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Aplomado Falcon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Aplomado_Falcon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
