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How peregrine falcon treats people. Bird of prey of the falcon family - peregrine falcon: flight speed

The peregrine falcon, translated from Latin Falco peregrinus, is practically the most common bird of prey in the world of the falcon family. This is a rather large bird, the length of which is about half a meter, the weight of females is from 900 grams to one and a half kilograms, males - from 400 to 750 grams. The coloration of males and females is almost the same. The ventral part is lighter than the dorsal part.

The peregrine falcon is characterized by a wide chest, solid convex muscles, strong paws and sharp sharply bent claws, a kind of curved beak and a rather narrow, long, rounded tail at the end. The alarmed peregrine falcon makes sounds similar to duck “kra-kra”, during the courtship period you can hear “ee-chip” from him, and to attract attention he shouts “kyak-kyak” or “keek-keek”.

The peregrine falcon feeds on mammals ( bats, squirrels), insects, amphibians, birds of small and medium size - sparrows and pigeons, thrushes and starlings, ducks. It can live in any conditions and any climate (it is not found only in New Zealand), but prefers rocky places that are difficult for humans, although recently the peregrine falcon settles even in large cities (for example, in Moscow, on one of the main buildings of Moscow State University). There are more than 17 subspecies of the peregrine falcon, depending on its beauty and size. The peregrine falcon jealously guards its territory and is not afraid to attack even larger predators, but the birds are especially aggressive during the mating season.

The peregrine falcon is not only the fastest bird, but also the fastest creature in the world; during a swift flight - a dive, it develops the maximum speed among all living creatures - more than three hundred kilometers per hour or up to 90 meters per second. From the force of his blow, the head of the prey flies off to the side, and the body is torn apart along its entire length.

The peregrine falcon is a rather rare bird and is included in the Red Book of Russia. Trade in these birds is prohibited worldwide.

Video: Peregrine falcon (lat. Falco peregrinus)

Peregrine falcon. The fastest creature in the world.

The peregrine falcon is a unique bird in its own way. This creature is the fastest feathered predator. In the art of flight, only his close relative the gyrfalcon can compete with him. With its modest size, the peregrine falcon is a formidable predator, the prey of which can be birds and rodents, which are distinguished by a larger body weight. For a long time, peregrine falcons were trained to be used for hunting in the future. Now this practice has practically ceased. In many countries, this species is under protection, but the human impact on the natural habitat of these raptors is strongly reflected in their numbers.

The peregrine falcon is a unique bird

Anatomical characteristics of peregrine falcons

This bird is extremely small in size. The body length of an adult peregrine falcon rarely exceeds 35-38 cm. Males are usually much smaller than females. The differences between the sexes in birds of this species are quite significant. Females usually weigh about 1-1.5 kg. Males rarely reach a weight of 750 g. Usually, the difference in weight between birds that form a pair during the mating season is no more than 30%. The wingspan can vary from 75 to 120 cm.

There are no obvious differences in plumage color between the sexes of this species. In adults, the back, wings and rump are bluish-black in color. This is a kind of background on which gray-blue stripes are clearly visible. The breast and abdomen of a bird of a lighter color, including black and dark brown thin longitudinal stripes. The tips of the flight feathers are usually black. The tail of these birds is very narrow, but in relation to body weight is quite long. It has black and white stripes on its tips. The plumage on the head is dark in color. From the beak to the throat part, you can see 2 stripes of dark feathers that form a kind of "mustache".

The beak at the base is yellow in color, and its top is black. In the area of the beak, frequent teeth are observed, which help this bird of prey to bite through the spine of the victim and hold it. In the area near the nostrils there are special tubercles that direct the air to the side during the rapid fall of the bird. This allows the raptor to breathe relatively easily during maneuvers. The legs of the peregrine falcon deserve special attention. They are quite short, but very thick and strong. Each toe has a large claw. Such equipment of the lower extremities also allows the peregrine falcon to be an effective predator.

This creature is the fastest feathered predator

Another notable feature of these birds are the eyes. They are large peregrine falcons. The iris is dark brown. There is no feathering around the bird's eyes, so the pale yellow skin is clearly visible. Vision is extremely important for the peregrine falcon, therefore, in the process of evolution, this creature developed a third eyelid that protects the keen eyes from damage.

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Gallery: peregrine falcon bird (25 photos)

Distribution area of peregrine falcons

Currently, more than 70 varieties of these birds living everywhere have been described. In this regard, peregrine falcons are real cosmopolitans. They are found throughout Eurasia, and in addition, large populations of these birds have been identified in North America and Africa. Peregrine falcons inhabit open areas. The most preferred for them are the tundra, forest-tundra, shroud and forest-steppe. In addition, these creatures are found in large numbers along the rocky coasts of the seas and oceans. Among other things, there is currently an increase in the number of these birds, who prefer the urban jungle, because even here this magnificent hunter can find a lot of prey.

Most peregrine falcons prefer to settle in rocky valleys along the banks of rivers and large bodies of water. Not all birds calmly endure human society. Continuous forests, as well as desert areas, peregrine falcons try to avoid. In addition, these birds avoid the highlands, as there are too few animals that could serve as prey for him. Thanks to their unique flight abilities, peregrine falcons spread not only to almost all continents, but also inhabited many islands. These unique birds of prey are not found only in Antarctica.

The peregrine falcon subspecies that inhabit the northernmost regions are migratory and make long migrations to winter in Brazil, Southeast Asia and the United States. Birds that nest in Africa, India, South America, Australia are sedentary, as the climatic conditions established in this area allow them to get enough food throughout the year. Despite the fact that the peregrine falcon is quite common in nature, ornithologists note a decrease in their numbers almost everywhere. Significantly, the population of these birds of prey was affected by the use of certain pesticides, which, accumulating in the body of adults, cause their eggs not to develop. Thus, many couples have become sterile and cannot reproduce.

The lifestyle of peregrine falcons

Most of the year, these birds try to lead a solitary lifestyle. Peregrine Falcons can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h in a smooth flight. However, the diving feathered predator is of particular interest. Seeing its prey, the peregrine falcon rushes down.

The speed of such a flight can reach 320 km / h. The bird bends its wings a little and slightly inclines its beak to its chest. This improves the aerodynamic properties of her body and allows you to increase the flight speed by several times. The peregrine falcon begins to dive from a great height. This increases the chances that his victim will not notice his maneuver and will not have time to escape. In addition, such flying skills allow him to catch other types of birds in the air.

Peregrine falcons feed mainly on small animals. The basis of their diet is:

sparrows;
pigeons;
waders;
starlings;
thrushes;
ducks;
magpies;
crows;
hummingbird;
the bats;
hares;
proteins;
lizards;
snakes;
insects;
lemmings;
voles;
gophers.

Usually the peregrine falcon flies out to hunt in the morning and evening hours. This predator catches prey on the fly. If the peregrine falcon does not see a bird or animal that could be caught, it can sit for hours on the branches of a tall tree, waiting. If this predator is too hungry, it flies low over the plain to frighten off potential prey. Then he simply grabs her with his tenacious claws and instantly kills her with a sharp beak.

If the peregrine falcon's prey is in the air, it tries to gain altitude as quickly as possible, and then dives sharply down to cling to the victim with its claws. When the attack occurs during a dive, the head of the prey can come off from the strongest blow or the body can be completely torn open. The peregrine falcon rarely has to use its beak to subdue its prey. Usually these predators seek to retire with the caught prey on a high ledge or branch in order to calmly continue the meal. Unlike many other types of birds of prey, peregrine falcons never eat the wings, head and paws of the victim.

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Bird behavior during the breeding season

Despite the fact that the peregrine falcon stays apart for almost the entire year, it is still impossible to do without a pair for the breeding season. These birds are believed to be monogamous. At a young age, they find a suitable partner for themselves, and then meet only during breeding periods. When a favorable time comes, the birds immediately occupy a certain territory, which they jealously guard. They even drive away ravens and other birds of prey that would like to establish nests nearby.

After that, the peregrine falcons proceed to the mating ritual, which involves performing a lot of acrobatic pirouettes, as well as transferring food to the female in flight. Usually birds try to build nests on a hill, that is, on tall trees or rocks. If there is no suitable place, they can make a bowl on the ground.

Each pair usually has several spare seats, which are intended in case the main one is ruined. Under certain circumstances, peregrine falcons may occupy old nests of other birds of prey.

The female starts laying eggs only in April. Usually there are from 2 to 5 of them in the nest. They have a red-brown shell with small dark patches. Both birds are engaged in incubation of eggs. The incubation process usually takes 33 to 35 days. Despite the fact that the chicks are born covered with warm down, at first they need additional heating by an adult.

From the first days of life, babies eat meat. The parents tear the prey into small pieces and feed it to the birds. If there is enough food, the chicks grow rapidly and after 1 month they molt, getting adult plumage. Even after they begin to hunt on their own, their parents continue to feed them, as the young take time to master the art of flight. Peregrine falcons reach puberty at the age of one, but pairs begin to form after a couple of years.

Attention, only TODAY!

The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the entire universe, there are more than 17 subspecies of them.

It has no equal among feathered predators, it is common in all corners of our Planet, except for Antarctica.

Appearance

The female is larger than the male, the body length is from 42 to 55 cm, the wingspan varies from 93 to 115 cm, the total weight of the female reaches up to 1300, and the male up to 600 grams.

Its back is covered with slate-gray plumage, a variegated and white belly, and its head and mustache are black. On its paws, yellow in color, there are dark claws that resemble the shape of hooks.

The beak is short, it has two nostrils, the eyes are large, and around the perimeter they are surrounded by a yellowish line of 1.2 mm. Vision is clear, able to detect the victim at a distance of more than 1.5 km.

The tail is narrow, of decent size with a slate-gray color and curved at the end. The underside of the tail is dark in color with a small light stripe at its end.

The flight speed of the peregrine falcon is capable of reaching over 325 km/h, that's almost 100 meters per second.

Habitat

The distribution area of this species is extensive, as we wrote earlier, it does not live only in the Arctic. However, in other places it lives everywhere.

And so, let's concretize the situation a little and give some scientific data for a clearer picture. This bird lives from the Arctic to South Asia and Australia, from the western part of Greenland through almost all of North America.

Habitat

This formidable predator prefers to inhabit areas inaccessible to humans, where there are peat bogs, steppes and semi-empty areas. In central Europe, he lives in mountainous uplands. It nests on sheer cliffs, along rivers and in old quarries.

They can also settle on tall trees, occupying other people's nests, since by nature they are not adapted to twist their own. They try to avoid those areas where dense and tall vegetation grows.

Sometimes, no matter how strange it sounds, the peregrine falcon can nest in settlements or cities. Birds occupy nests of other species, which are located on the roofs of shrines and other structures covered with stone structures.

In the winter season, it can migrate to areas where there are water bodies: rivers, lakes, and hunts other birds. It can be found during seasonal infrequent migrations, adults are sedentary, and the younger generation constantly wanders over great distances.

reproduction

The peregrine falcon creates a pair for life, they choose their nesting place in hard-to-reach places, such as:

rock cornices;
Tall trees;
Roofs of houses or churches;

Also, they are very attached to the same nesting place, every year one and the same pair tries to occupy exactly the habitat that they occupied a year earlier.

There is enough space in the habitat to accommodate chicks and two adults, and besides, it is reliably protected from enemies and predators.

The body of males is ready for fertilization a year after birth, however, they take part in reproduction at 1.5 or 2 years of age.

The breeding season comes in May and lasts until June, in the northern regions it starts later. The male first flies to the place of dwelling. Seducing the female, he invents various pirouettes in the air, acrobatic action in the form of a spiral or clearly dives into a dive. etc.

If the chosen one pleased the female, she sits down to him at a short distance, which means that the pair has formed. Sitting next to each other, they mutually clean each other's feathers, gnaw their claws.

During mating courtship in the air, the male often fertilizes his chosen one with captured prey. To accept a gift, the female turns her back down on the fly, and the male at this moment passes the caught trophy to her.

These birds do not settle next to other pairs, the distance between neighbors must be at least 1200 meters, but the maximum distance between them can reach up to 2.6 km. This is due to the fact that this distance is enough to feed themselves without violating the territorial integrity of their relatives.

In this occupied area there can be up to 10 places where a pair can lay eggs, each new season they can occupy one of the mentioned places. The peregrine bird of prey carefully guards the territory entrusted to it, if someone dares to disturb their nesting place, they can attack more powerful birds, such as:

Voronov;
Orlov;

If the birds notice people, they begin to show concern already at a distance of 350 - 500 meters to the dwelling, it is accompanied by loud and piercing sounds characteristic of falcon species.

peregrine falcon voice

First, the male circles over people, later the female joins him, so as not to lose sight of them, from time to time they sit down next to them.

The location of the habitat directly depends on the landscape, however, in one case or another, the approach to it should be accessible and convenient. There must be a pond or river near the nesting site.

If this is a rocky area, then crevices or a place on a ledge of a slope are found, where a dwelling can be located at a height at least 30 to 85 meters. Not often, but it happens when peregrine falcons occupy the nests of other birds, such as:

kite;
Osprey;
Crow;
buzzard;
Goshawk;

The floor in their dwelling is not specially covered, but with repeated exploitation, it contains old feathers and bones of past victims. One of the features of this bird is a huge accumulation of bone debris around the perimeter of the nest, which accumulates over for long years, as well as the litter left by the younger generation.

The female lays once a year, within forty-eight hours one egg appears, if for some reason she is destroyed, she will lay eggs for the second time. More often in the clutch there are 2 or 3, less often from 2 to 5 eggs of a rusty-red color and with brown speckles.

It has dimensions of 52-53X42-44 mm. For 35 days, the female and male will incubate them, but the female incubates more often, since the male forages at this time.

After the chicks begin to hatch, at first they are helpless. For the first time in their life, their body is covered with dirty-light fluff, the limbs are disproportionate and very developed. The mother of the chicks carefully warms them and feeds them.

The head of the family spends most of his time hunting, because the need for food increases every day more and more. It is capable of flying from 22 to 45 kilometers in search of prey..

After 45 days, the chicks will make their first flight from the family nest, but for some time they will be next to their parents, since they are too young at this age and do not have hunting skills, unlike their parents.

Nutrition

As you already know, the peregrine falcon is the fastest bird and it hunts exclusively on its own kind. Their diet is very diverse, let's briefly look at her daily menu in the list:

The bird bends its crescent-shaped wings and flies as if into an abyss. Once in such a situation, the victim has no chance to escape, the peregrine falcon beats her with such force that the bird’s head can fly off and the body is torn, but if she remains alive, he breaks her neck with his powerful beak.

Lifespan

In the wild, this bird can live up to 25 years.

Red Book

Couples who live in places that are not safe for themselves are strictly protected by law. The total number of birds of this species permanently residing on the territory of European countries is no more than 5000 brood pairs.

During the Second World War, this bird was destroyed by soldiers, as it caught carrier pigeons.
The male is smaller than the female by a third.
In the near future, he is threatened with complete or partial extinction.
He has very clear vision and is able to recognize prey at a height of more than 310 meters.
Peregrine falcons were often used for hunting, as well as.
Falconry is only a sport these days.

The falcon is a diurnal bird of prey from the falconiformes order, the falcon family (lat. Falconidae).

Initially, in Russia, falcons were called gyrfalcons. The origin of the word is interpreted in different ways. According to I. G. Lebedev and V. M. Konstantinov, it arose from the Proto-Slavic combination so-kol: "so": in the meaning of "like, similar", "kol" - "sun, circle", which generally translates " like the sun, sun-like." Indeed, many European and other peoples of the world associated this bird with the sun god. The word gyrfalcon comes from the onomatopoeic Proto-Slavic "falcon", which means "crack, groan, scream."

Of the 11 genera of the falcon family, 6 of them belong to falcons, and various types of caracars belong to the rest.

Laughing Falcons, or Laughing Falcons (lat. herpetotheres) - so named for a kind of cry.
Forest falcons (lat. Micrastur) .
American pygmy falcons (lat. . Spiziapteryx).
Small falcons (lat. Polihierax) .
pygmy falcons, or crumb falcons (lat. Microhierax).
Falcons (lat. falco) - the name of the genus comes from the Latin "falx", meaning "sickle", which indicates the peculiar shape of the wings of birds, clearly visible in flight. To emphasize their special position, in many sources the genus is called True Falcons.

falcon breeding

Falcons are birds that tend to form pairs, and their marriage ceremony involves display flights. Male and female can rush down, grappling with claws, and fly like this for about 10 meters. In addition, the male presents his girlfriend with a gift in his beak.

Falcons often build their own nests, but sometimes they occupy ready-made buildings of other birds of prey or corvids. Sometimes they take the houses from the owners by force. Small representatives can live in natural tree hollows, depressions, niches, or in artificial nests. Falcons settle on rocks, cliffs, trees, in burrows, on tall buildings, in independently dug holes in the ground. Places for laying eggs of a bird are most often not lined with anything. At the bottom is only their droppings, food debris and fallen off feathers.

The nest of the Aleutian (black) falcon (lat. Falco peregrinus pealei). Photo credit: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Females lay from 1 to 6 round white eggs, decorated with red-brown specks. Large falcons usually have a small clutch. The eggs are incubated by the female, although the male occasionally replaces her for a short while. Hatching lasts a month. Sometimes parents make mistakes with time and can only successfully incubate the first chicks, since the interval between laying eggs is 1-2 days.

Left photo: Gyrfalcon egg (lat. Falco rusticolus), photo by Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0. Center photo: Falco vespertinus egg, photo by Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0. Right photo: Common kestrel (lat. Falco tinnunculus) egg, photo by Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Laughing falcons, or gull falcons, do not build nests themselves, but occupy empty hollows, nests of other birds of prey and rock crevices. They lay 1-2 eggs, which are incubated only by the female. The male carries food to the female and chicks while they are still small. Incubation lasts 40-65 days. Both parents then bring food. The chicks leave the nest 8 weeks after hatching.
forest falcons make masonry in tree cavities, hollows, caves, rock crevices, abandoned houses. During the dry period, they lay 2-3 white eggs, incubating them during the rainy season for 33-48 days.
Ecology American pygmy falcons poorly studied.
small falcons occupy other people's nests, most often built by weavers. In their clutch there are 2-3 eggs covered with a white shell.
pygmy falcons, or baby falcons, often build nests in hollows, lay eggs white color. The African Pygmy Falcon nests in the nests of social weavers.
:
- kestrels nest on rocks, in burrows on the ground, in trees, including hollows, along cliffs. Clutch contains 4-6 yellow-brown eggs covered with rusty spots;
- the gyrfalcon does not build nests, takes them away from buzzards or ravens, lines them with dry grass, moss and feathers;
- the red-footed falcon settles in the abandoned nests of magpies and crows, less often in hollows and niches. The female lays up to 6 eggs and incubates them. The male takes care of the girlfriend, feeds her;
- falcons need space and a reservoir nearby to hatch chicks. They nest more often on ledges of rocks at a height of 20-80 m from the ground, in the tundra: along the banks of water bodies or rocky outcrops. Rarely, they occupy the nests of other birds. The Mexican falcon can also nest on the ground. The female lays 2 to 5 reddish or brownish-red eggs with darker specks.

Falcons reach sexual maturity by the age of one year. Young falcons have broader wings due to the development of flight feathers. This prevents them from hunting, but it helps to learn how to fly.

Peregrine falcon cubs (lat. Falco peregrinus). Photo by: Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York, CC BY 2.0

What does a falcon eat?

Prey of raptors is dominated by rodents, lizards, birds and large insects. Also, falcons can eat snakes, frogs, sometimes fish. big views prey on medium-sized mammals: ground squirrels, hares. Usually falcons catch prey in flight, overtake a flying or running prey in a throw. Small animals are seized with a beak, large animals are stunned or killed with a blow of claws.

Laughing falcons(laughing falcons) are gourmets, they hunt snakes, more often poisonous, lizards, small rodents, bats and wood lice, and are also fishermen.

forest falcons they eat small birds, they know how to lure individuals of the passerine family with characteristic sounds. They also catch lizards and rodents.

American pygmy falcons love to eat insects, small birds and lizards.

small falcons They feed mainly on large insects, less often on lizards, snakes and small birds.

pygmy falcons, or baby falcons, catch small prey on the fly or from a perch, looking out for it from the tops of tall trees. They eat butterflies, dragonflies, large beetles, termites, grasshoppers, small birds, mice, lizards.

kestrels on the hunt look out during a fluttering flight or from a perch of small birds and large insects (dragonflies, beetles, crickets, locusts, grasshoppers, bears). They also feed on small animals (bats and common mice), frogs, lizards, snakes. The victim is seized with claws and killed with a blow of the beak to the back of the head;
the red-necked falcon catches small birds: swifts, swallows, larks; flying insects: beetles, dragonflies; bats;
Falcons are falcons that prey more often on insects: grasshoppers, dragonflies, beetles. Smaller rodents, amphibians and lizards are caught less often. They eat sparrows, sometimes they can catch a larger bird, for example, a dove;
Hobbies feed on insects, bats and small birds: starlings, black swifts, rosellas, sparrows. Occasionally they catch mice and other land animals;
noble falcons (merlin, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, saker falcon, ashy falcon, etc.) catch birds: bee-eaters, orioles, waders, swallows, larks, bluethroats, wagtails, thrushes, hoopoes, small passerines; scorpions, bats. Less commonly they feed on snakes, rodents, lizards and insects, rabbits, ground squirrels, rats. The black falcon eats carrion. Gyrfalcon in the tundra feeds on the inhabitants of bird colonies (gulls and auks), tundra and white partridges, small passerines, lemmings, hares and squirrels. The gyrfalcon carries the caught prey to a nest or other safe place, there it breaks.

falcon life span

The maximum lifespan of a laughing falcon in nature has been determined by banding. She was 16 years and 3.5 months. In the zoo, birds of this genus lived up to 14 years.

The lifespan of American pygmy, forest falcons and baby falcons is unknown.

Presumably, the maximum life expectancy of representatives of the genus Lesser Falcons is 20 years.

As for real falcons, the oldest kestrel in the wild lived to be 16 years old, the same date is noted for a falcon that lived in captivity. The average life expectancy of a kestrel is 11 years. There is a case of peregrine falcon longevity: the bird lived in captivity for 25 years.

Enemies of falcons in the wild

All large predators are not averse to eating falcon meat, including eagle owls. Eggs from their clutches are often stolen by martens, ferrets, foxes, and weasels. Most of the falcons die due to the destruction of their habitats by humans, a decrease in the food supply, and disturbance at nesting sites. Birds often die on unprotected power lines.

Merlins fight (lat. Falco columbarius). Photo by: Bear Golden Retriever, CC BY 2.0

The benefits and harms of falcons for humans

Falcons are orderlies of nature, they destroy many rodents. Thus, their numbers are regulated and, incidentally, they ensure the preservation of the crop of grain crops for a person.

Many types of falcons are easily tamed. They can help people hunting, while protecting herds of sheep from predators, vegetable gardens and fields - from smaller grain-, fruit- and vegetable-eating birds. The falcons are in the official state service for the protection of the Kremlin monuments in Moscow. They keep crows, pigeons and other man-made birds away from the golden domes, thus saving building elements from erosion and subsequent destruction. At the airport in Brazil, falcons, along with hawks, also drive away crows from the runway. They prevent emergencies that can occur with aircraft due to large concentrations of birds.

Falcons, like other birds of prey, are guarded everywhere, despite the fact that sometimes they can also carry away poultry, including chickens. But this happens only due to an oversight of the owners.

Types of falcons, names and photos

Below is a description of some varieties of falcons.

Laughing falcon (lat. Herpetotheres cachinnans) - the only species of the genus. Lives in Central and South America.

The body length of the bird is 45-50 cm, weight 400-650 g. In appearance and vertical landing, it looks like real falcons. But he has a round big head of an owl type. The back and wings are dark brown, the tail is contrastingly striped. At the same time, the "hat" on the head, Bottom part neck and chest straw-yellow or golden-cream shade with streaks. The bird is also characterized by a black "mask" passing through the eyes and the back of the head.

Magpie pygmy falcon, magpie falcon-baby (lat. Microhierax melanoleucos) lives in Bhutan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, India, in southern China. Prefers the outskirts of fields, the edges of the forest, climbs the mountains to a height of 1500 m.

This is the largest and long-tailed species of the genus of pygmy falcons. The length of its body varies from 18 to 20 cm, the bird weighs 55-75 g. The predator has pointed wings and a square tip of the tail. The color of the falcon is contrasting: the dorsal side is glossy black, the ventral side is white. A black stripe runs through the eyes. Legs and beak are black.

Common kestrel (lat. Falco tinnunculus) lives in Africa and Eurasia everywhere except the north. Lives in the Canary, some Japanese, British Isles, on Sakhalin, about. Peter the Great, the islands of Cape Verde and Madeira.

The kestrel has a stepped long tail and, unlike other falcons, its wings are more rounded. You can see how this bird often "shakes" in one place in the air with a slightly lowered tail and raised wings. The body length of males is 310-355 mm, females - 330-380 mm, the average weight of birds is 181-213 g. In the final plumage, males of the common kestrel are very different from females. The dorsal side of the male is red with dark brown transverse streaks and a gray hood on the head. There are also mottled spots on the brown flight feathers of the wings. On the inner webs there are zigzag white spots. The tail feathers of the kestrel are gray with a black preapical and white apical border. The underside is buffy with a longitudinal brown pattern developed to varying degrees. The male has a small black mustache. The cere, legs and orbital ring are yellow. The male is generally less variegated in color, and his mantle is brighter. Female with a rusty-brown back, tail and shoulders, covered with a wide dark transverse pattern. She has longitudinal stripes on her head and a grayish rump.

The meaning of the word "kestrel" in the dictionaries of the Russian language is interpreted as "frivolous, empty." The bird makes sounds similar to the combination of “ti-ti-ti” or “ki-ki-ki”.

Steppe kestrel (lat. Falco naumanni) - This is a bird of the order Falconiformes. Lives in Africa: in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia; in the south of Portugal, Spain, Italy; in the Balearic Islands, Cyprus, Sicily, Crete, Sardinia; in Poland, Germany, Mongolia, Russia (the Trans-Urals, the Altai Territory, the Omsk Region, the Caucasus, Ciscaucasia, the lower reaches of the Don, the Volga region), etc.

The body length of the steppe kestrel is 31-34 cm, the weight of males is 90-180 g, females 135-210 g, the wingspan is 58-75 cm. The tail of the bird is wedge-shaped, wide and long, the wings are narrow. There are few differences between the sexes. Adult females are red with longitudinal spots on the head. The ventral part is yellow-brown. Flight feathers are black-brown, with a wide, light, transverse pattern. The male has a gray head, the “whiskers” on it are not clearly expressed. The back, shoulders and wing coverts are brick-red without a pattern, the rump is gray. The abdomen is yellow-brown with a longitudinal pattern developed to varying degrees. The beak is black at the end, orange or yellowish at the base. Paws, cere and ring around the eyes are yellow.

Peregrine falcon (lat. Falco peregrinus) is a rare bird of prey, protected in Russia, Western and Central Europe. But the peregrine falcon is listed in the Red Book of the Earth as an animal that is threatened by the least threat, since its range in other parts of the planet is quite wide. The peregrine falcon is a cosmopolitan that lives on all continents except Antarctica. In South America, he lives only in Patagonia. Forms local races (subspecies). In winter, the peregrine falcon migrates to warmer areas.

In size, the bird is second only to gyrfalcons. The average length of its body is 40-50 cm, weight 700-1000 g. Adult birds have a grayish-brown back with a transverse bluish pattern. The loin and rump are lighter. The flight feathers are black-brown with a transverse reddish or yellow-brown pattern on the inner webs. Under the eyes there is a black spot, turning into dark stripes on the sides of the head - "mustache". The tail feathers are black or grayish-brown with bluish stripes. The ventral side is light with a reddish tinge, often with a bluish bloom on the sides, with a black or brown transverse pattern on the underwings, undertail feathers and lower leg feathers. Heart-shaped spots or black streaks are usually present on the chest. The tarsus is less than half feathered. Females have a duller dorsal side and a more mottled ventral side. A flying peregrine falcon can be confused with a goshawk, but the tail of the falcon is shorter and sharper, and the wings are longer. The word "peregrine falcon" appeared in Russian literature in the 19th century, it was borrowed from the Kalmyk language and means "falcon" in translation.

Aleutian falcon (black falcon) (lat.Falco peregrinus pealei ) - This is a subspecies of the peregrine falcon. Its nesting area is limited to the islands of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean: Commander (Copper and Bering), Aleutian and Queen Charlotte. During non-breeding time, the black falcon can be found on the coasts of North America, in Japan, Manchuria, and in the Russian Far East. More often he leads a settled way of life, less often wanders. Settles next to the "bird markets".

The black falcon is the largest of the peregrine falcons: the weight of a young female can reach 1.179 kg. In the nesting plumage, the upper side of the bird is monochromatic, dark brown in color. The lower part is brown with a light throat and chin, with white edges of feathers, on the sides with transverse variegated shading. In adult falcons, the dark-colored head and interscapular region, abdomen and lower neck are white with frequent irregular patterning. There are no red tones in the color of the bird. The pattern on the goiter and chest is in the form of transverse broken lines, and on the sides, legs and undertail there is longitudinal hatching. Males are slightly lighter than females.

Amur Falcon (Eastern Falcon) (lat. Falco amurensis) - a bird common in southeastern Transbaikalia, Primorye, Manchuria, in northwestern Mongolia, in Korea, in northern China.

The average length of the bird's wing is 22-23 cm, the average body length is 30-31 cm, the weight of the falcon is 114-140 g. Males in the final plumage are similar to the nominal race, but differ in white underwings. They have a bluish-gray body with a silvery coating on the wings, a black tail and head. The lower legs, undertail and rear part of the belly are red. The females are unique. They do not have red tones in color, the dorsal side is gray with a darker transverse pattern. Their head is also gray with well-defined black "whiskers". The ventral side is white with a dark brown longitudinal pattern, turning into irregularly shaped transverse stripes on the sides. The feathers of the undertail and lower legs are plain white.

Cheglok (lat. Falco subbuteo) - This is a small falcon, outwardly very similar to a peregrine falcon. The area of \u200b\u200bdistribution of the bird is the temperate zone of Europe and Asia, as well as North Africa. Due to the breadth of distribution, the species exhibits significant variability in color and size. Subspecies living in the north of Eurasia are painted in darker colors, small subspecies live in Africa and China.

Hobbyists have common features: a long wedge-shaped tail, pointed wings, an average body length of 28-36 cm, weight from 130 to 340 g, a wingspan of 69-84 cm. Adult birds on the dorsal side are brown with a more or less developed bluish tinge. There is no hue in a worn feather. In the male, the underside of the body is buffy, in dense longitudinal streaks, the “whiskers” and the head are black. The throat and cheeks are white, the undertail and lower legs are red. There are white strokes on both sides of the back of the neck. The female is brownish, more uniform. The voice of the Hobby is loud, the sounds it makes are reminiscent of the combination of "Kli".

Eleanor's Hobby, Eleanor's falcon, or alet (lat. Falco eleonorae) larger than the common Hobby. Its body length is 36-42 cm, wingspan is 87-104 cm, weight is 280-420 g. It is similar in color to the common Hobby, but there are also completely black birds. The white morph of the alet is distinguished by the absence of a rusty shade of the plumage of the "trousers" and the dark underside of the wing. In females, the color of the feather contains brown, brown and yellowish tones.

Hobbies nest on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, in Tunisia and Algeria, on the coast of Morocco, in the Canary Islands. They winter in Madagascar and the Comoros.

Krechet (lat. Falco rusticolus) - This is the largest falcon, with wide wings, a long tail and a powerful physique. It belongs to the rarest birds of Russia, is listed in the Red Book Russian Federation and Red Books of 40 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. According to the international red book, it is a rare and vulnerable species.

Gyrfalcon is an inhabitant of the Arctic and subarctic regions of the Earth. His home is Kamchatka, Taimyr, etc. The bird is found on the continents of Eurasia and North America, on the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Commanders and Greenland. In winter, the falcon migrates to the south for about 1-2 thousand km.

The wingspan of the gyrfalcon varies from 120 to 160 cm, the body length is 48–60 cm, the weight of males is 1.3 kg, and that of females is 2.1 kg. The color of the bird is either dark gray with numerous streaks, or pure white, almost devoid of spots. White gyrfalcons live on about. Greenland and eastern Siberia. The voice of the gyrfalcon is similar to the cry of most falcons: a drawn-out whining “keek-keek-keek” or a hoarse “kyak-kyak-kyak”. The flight of the gyrfalcon is a change in the waving and soaring mode of movement.

Gyrfalcon was used for hunting in many countries of the world. In Russia, at the palace of the tsar, there was even the position of a falconer, and the places where these birds were kept were called krechatny.

Shaheen, red-headed peregrine falcon, red-headed falcon, or desert falcon (lat. Falco pelegrinoides) distributed in Central and Central Asia: from the Mongolian Altai to the central Tien Shan.

This is a small subspecies, relatively short-tailed and long-winged. The average body length of a male is 36 cm, a female is 42 cm, the weight of a male is about 330 g, and a female is about 500 g. The maximum recorded weight of a female from Turkmenistan is 765 g. The color of the shahin is pale and light. In adults, the feathers on the crown, forehead and neck are reddish-red. The back of the birds is pale gray, slightly smoky, with a darker transverse brownish pattern. Feathers often have a reddish border. The ventral side of different shades of red, with a slightly pronounced brownish pattern.

Laggar (lat. Falco jugger) — sedentary bird of prey, lives in Nepal, India, Pakestane, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar. Flies to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Outwardly, the laggar is similar to the Saker Falcon, only it is somewhat smaller. The length of its body is 21-50 cm, the weight of an adult female from Turkmenistan is 755 g. The plumage of the Laggar is dense and stiff, the wings are sharp and long. The back of adult birds is grayish-brown. There is a white border on the crown. The underside is white, with brown sides and lower leg feathers, sometimes with brown streaks on the abdomen and chest. The tail is single-colored, brown. The flight feathers of the wings are brown with whitish transverse stripes on the inner webs.

Saker falcon (lat. Falco cherrug) distributed in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Eastern Europe, North and Central Asia.

This is a long-tailed, large falcon with a body length of 45 to 55 cm. Males weigh up to 990 g, females - up to 1300 g. The color of the dorsal side is variegated brown, the underside of the body is light with spots in the form of drops and arrows. The bird's head is more often colored lighter than the body and tail, it is decorated with a dark "whisker". The tail and inner part of the wings are striped. The cere, legs and orbital ring have a bluish tinge.

The word "saker" from the Crimean Tatar language into Russian is translated as "big, large". The call of the Saker Falcon is a rough, hoarse "hack-hack" or "heeeek-heeeek".

Turumti, or turumdi (turmuti), or red-necked falcon (lat. Falco chicquera). The total length of its body is about 30 cm. Distributed in Africa, south of the Sahara, and in India. Turumti is characterized by a brick-red "cap" on the head.

Derbnik (drobnik, dermlig, derbnichek, derbushok, kobets, falcon or mouser) (lat. Falco columbarius) is a bird that lives in North America, Northern and Eastern Europe and northern Asia. In winter, Merlin wanders south, sometimes reaching the tropics.

In addition, it somewhat resembles a miniature gyrfalcon. It has a long tail and pointed wings that, when folded, do not reach the end of the tail a little. The long tarsus is feathered to half. The mandible, laterally compressed, is provided with a narrow crest. The average length of its body varies from 30 to 32 cm, the weight of the Merlin reaches 19-23 g. claws are black; cere, eye ring and legs are yellow. Females are a third larger than males, they also differ in color. Adult males are bluish-gray with dark trunks of feathers, their head is the same color, but with light edges of feathers. There are slightly noticeable "whiskers". The back of the neck is reddish with dark streaks. The flight feathers of the wing are brown with whitish transverse stripes on the inner webs. The tail is gray with a black transverse pattern. The ventral side is white-buff with a pattern of dark longitudinal spots. Females are dark brown above and variegated gray below. Their tail is striped, with alternating cream and brown lines, with a light edge.

The largest of the falcons is the gyrfalcon. Its wingspan is 125-160 cm. Only about 1000 pairs of gyrfalcons live on the territory of Russia.
The smallest falcon in the world is the Mauritian kestrel (lat. falco punctatus). Their number has decreased due to deforestation in the bird's habitat. Today, only 2 pairs of these rare falcons remain in nature.
Muti is a falcon up to 20 cm in size. From the fly, it attacks birds larger than it in size: quails, thrushes, thimelia (lat. Garrulax). In India, tamed dregs were used for hunting. The owner held the bird in his hand, so the name of the falcon appeared: “muti” means “handful”.
The falcon is depicted on the coats of arms of the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and Iceland.
In ancient Egypt, the falcon was revered, it was considered the incarnation of the sun god Ra.
Falconry appeared about 2500 years ago. From the East to Europe, starting from the XII century, this hobby was brought by knights returning from crusades. The European nobility was fond of falconry, and trained birds were very expensive.
In different countries, different types of falcons were used for hunting. Russian amateurs hunted with gyrfalcons and peregrine falcons, Iranian - with a red-headed falcon, Middle Eastern - with Saker Falcons, Indian - with turumdi and muti. In the USA, they still hunt with the American, or sparrow kestrel (lat. Falco sparverius).
The bony tubercles in front of the nostrils help falcons redirect air currents away from their nose during high-speed flight.

Peregrine Falcon is a species of bird of prey belonging to the genus Falcons. The main feature of the peregrine falcon is its speed, it flies faster than all other birds.

Having found the prey, this predator swoops down on it at a speed of 322 kilometers per hour. But during a normal flight, peregrine falcons are not so fast, they are inferior to some birds in speed.

The species consists of 19 subspecies. These falcons live almost all over the world, from the northern polar regions to the southern part of the American mainland. Peregrine Falcons are found in the Arctic tundra, India, Tierra del Fuego, Australia, East Africa, Greenland and the Arctic tundra. These birds are not found only in the Amazon, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara, Antarctica and the highlands of Central Asia. These predatory birds also, for unknown reasons, do not like New Zealand, although the conditions are suitable for their habitat.

Appearance of a peregrine falcon

The body length of the peregrine falcon varies between 35-58 centimeters. Males are smaller than females. The body weight of females is 0.9-1.5 kilograms, and males do not gain more than 450-750 grams.

That is, females are 2 times larger than males. Between subspecies in females, the difference in weight can be 300 grams. On average, the difference in weight between males and females is 30%. The wingspan ranges from 75 to 120 centimeters.

The plumage color of females and males is the same. For certain parts of the body, color contrast is characteristic. In adults, the wings, back and rump are bluish-black. Against this background, bluish-gray stripes are visible. The belly is light with dark brown or black streaks. The tips of the wings are black. The tail is narrow and long, its tip is rounded and has a black color with a white edging.

Most of the head is black. A kind of mustache stretches from the beak to the throat - black feathers. The chest and front of the body are light, against the background of a black head, they look contrasting. The legs are yellow with black nails. The base of the beak is yellow, and it is black. The upper beak ends with small teeth, with the help of which the predator bites the spine of the victim. The eyes are large, dark brown in color, there are no feathers around them - this is bare skin of a pale yellow hue.

Juveniles have less contrasting plumage. Their belly is pale blue and their back is dark brown. There are streaks on the lower part of the belly.

Behavior and nutrition of the peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcons prefer to live away from people - in rocky valleys, in the foothills of ridges, on the banks of mountain rivers and lakes, or in remote areas. These predators have a clear preference for rocks, in which one can easily hide from large predators. These falcons also live in large marshy areas, but they do not like open spaces and, on the contrary, dense forests.

Migratory are only those subspecies that live in the harsh Arctic zones. For the winter, they go south - to Brazil, the USA, Southeast Asia. Subspecies living in India, Australia, Africa and South America live throughout the year in the same territory.

Speaking about the ability of these birds to dive at high speed, it is worth noting the unusual structure of the beak. At high speeds, the resistance of the air environment increases greatly, such high pressure can cause a rupture of the lungs, but this does not happen in the peregrine falcon due to the fact that next to the nostrils they have special bone tubercles that act as a fender for the air flow, directing it to the side. Thanks to this, peregrine falcons breathe relatively easily even during a rapid fall.

The flight of the peregrine falcon is fast and impetuous.

The eyes of these falcons are also protected by special membranes, which are called the third eyelid. Thus, nature has thought of everything to the smallest detail so that the peregrine falcons feel comfortable even when falling at a speed of 620 kilometers per hour. But the maximum recorded speed at which these birds of prey dive is 389 kilometers per hour. This speed was recorded in 2005.

Listen to the voice of the peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcons are real predators, so they destroy other birds without the slightest regret. Their diet includes a huge number of birds. Their number reaches one and a half thousand, these are wild pigeons, waders, cranes, thrushes and so on. In addition to birds, these falcons eat rodents. Also caught in the claws of these predators, and. They eat peregrine falcons and insects, but they make up a small part of the diet. Peregrine falcons hunt, as a rule, in the morning and evening, but they can also feed at night.

Reproduction and lifespan

These birds of prey are monogamous, they form pairs for life. Pairs are destroyed only after the death of the female or male. Birds choose the same nesting sites for many years. Peregrine falcons do not accumulate in one place. Each pair has its own territorial allotment, on which the birds feed and breed. Between the nests of peregrine falcons, the distance reaches 2-3 kilometers.

In different regions, the mating season occurs at different times. For example, peregrine falcons living at the equator lay eggs from June to December. The more northerly peregrine falcons lay their eggs from April to June. For the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere, this period falls on February-March.

If the first clutch is lost for some reason, then the female makes a new one. As a rule, these falcons build their nests high above the ground, on sheer cliffs or in hollow trees. It depends on where the birds live. These birds of prey ignore the abandoned nests of other birds.

The peregrine falcon is a bird of prey.

Before mating, mating games take place in birds, the male performs various aerial figures in front of the female. If the female sits on the ground near the male, this indicates that she is receiving his attention, thus a pair is formed. It is noteworthy that males can feed their chosen ones in the air, while the female turns her belly up to eat.

The clutch consists of 2-5 eggs. Both parents are engaged in incubation of offspring. But most of the time the female spends in the nest, and the male forages. The incubation period lasts a little over a month.

Newborn chicks are covered with white-gray down. At first, babies are completely helpless. The female warms them with her body. After 1.5 months, the chicks become winged. At the end of the 2nd month of life, the young become completely independent and leave their parents.

Sexual maturity in peregrine falcons occurs 1 year after birth. At 2-3 years of age, these falcons begin to breed. The female makes 1 clutch per year. Life expectancy in the wild is on average 25 years, but it is believed that falcons live up to 100-120 years. This may be true, but there is no evidence for this theory.

In the first year of life, about 60-70% of young birds die. This number is decreasing by 30% annually. In the bulk, these birds of prey live up to 15-16 years, because they have too many enemies.

Peregrine Falcon Enemies

All terrestrial predators and other birds larger than peregrine falcons are their natural enemies. The falcon is threatened by , . These predators destroy nests and devour masonry.

In this regard, in some countries peregrine falcons are listed in the Red Book. Today we have to actively develop measures to preserve the population of the species. People have known peregrine falcons for thousands of years. People actively used these birds of prey in falconry, because they are very dexterous and fast.

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