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'''Females and youngsters''': indistinct face mask, buff underparts with varying degrees of streaking (most adult females tend to have only a very little bit of streaking on the side of the belly and chest). Barred grey on the back and wings. <br /> | '''Females and youngsters''': indistinct face mask, buff underparts with varying degrees of streaking (most adult females tend to have only a very little bit of streaking on the side of the belly and chest). Barred grey on the back and wings. <br /> | ||
'''Adult males''': dark slate grey everywhere with paler sometimes silvery primaries (especially noticeable from above) and undertail reddish-brown. Feet, base of bill and eyering red. | '''Adult males''': dark slate grey everywhere with paler sometimes silvery primaries (especially noticeable from above) and undertail reddish-brown. Feet, base of bill and eyering red. | ||
| − | [[Image:4E5B9860.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Female<br >Photo by {{user|rony_roshtov|rony_roshtov}}<br/ >Kibutz Galon, Israel, October 2008]] | + | [[Image:4E5B9860.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Female<br >Photo by {{user|rony_roshtov|rony_roshtov}}<br/ >Kibutz Galon, [[Israel]], October 2008]] |
====Similar species==== | ====Similar species==== | ||
Long-winged as a [[Hobby]], long-tailed like a [[Eurasian Kestrel]], with flight combining elements from both (both insect-catching in flight and hovering). See also [[Amur Falcon]]. | Long-winged as a [[Hobby]], long-tailed like a [[Eurasian Kestrel]], with flight combining elements from both (both insect-catching in flight and hovering). See also [[Amur Falcon]]. | ||
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A first-summer male found on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA by Vernon Laux on 8 August 2004 is the first North American record for this species. A photo of that bird is in the Gallery. | A first-summer male found on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA by Vernon Laux on 8 August 2004 is the first North American record for this species. A photo of that bird is in the Gallery. | ||
| + | [[Image:Sh mavrokirkinezo8556 Sep09.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br >Photo by {{user|walkingandclicking|walkingandclicking}}<br/ >Athens, [[Greece]], September 2009]] | ||
==Taxonomy== | ==Taxonomy== | ||
This is a [[Dictionary_M-S#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>. | This is a [[Dictionary_M-S#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>. | ||
Revision as of 13:49, 30 September 2010
- Falco vespertinus
Identification
Females and youngsters: indistinct face mask, buff underparts with varying degrees of streaking (most adult females tend to have only a very little bit of streaking on the side of the belly and chest). Barred grey on the back and wings.
Adult males: dark slate grey everywhere with paler sometimes silvery primaries (especially noticeable from above) and undertail reddish-brown. Feet, base of bill and eyering red.
Similar species
Long-winged as a Hobby, long-tailed like a Eurasian Kestrel, with flight combining elements from both (both insect-catching in flight and hovering). See also Amur Falcon.
Distribution
Eurasia: breeds in scattered pockets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary and northern Yugoslavia, south Romania and north Bulgaria. More widespread in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia east across Asia to extreme north-west China in north-western Sinkiang.
Sub-Saharan Africa: migrants to African wintering with the largest concentrations in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.
A first-summer male found on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA by Vernon Laux on 8 August 2004 is the first North American record for this species. A photo of that bird is in the Gallery.
Taxonomy
Amur Falcon has in the past been treated as conspecific with Red-footed Falcon.
Habitat
Breeds in steppe country with wooded areas, along forest edges and clearings, and in river valleys and cultivated areas. Often hunts over wetlands, especially on passage.
Behaviour
Utilizes both hovering (like an Eurasian Kestrel) for catching vertebrates including lizards, young birds, frogs, small mammals, etc., and active flight (like a Hobby) for insect catching; insects are most important for the adult bird, but nestlings are often fed invertebrates.
Often breeds in colonies in nests made by Rooks, with breeding often starting in June.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Birdforum thread discussing id features of immature male Amur Falcon compared to Red-footed Falcon.
